is a clear blue sky behind a flurry of activity is the conviction we are entering a holy season lord god as congress resumes major responsibilities today we mourn the passing of a dear colleague strong witness of perseverance and suffering an advocate for the poor in the homeless the honorable julia carson her always shown through her raspy voice and determination her smile borne out of sincerity and say encouraged others when there was only a smidgen of hope god of all consolation reward her public service and be close to all who grieve the loss of her presence as all prepare to celebrate the approaching feast of heaven and earth we know many will greet her with shouts of triumph and thanksgiving and your kingdom you will invite her to take her place where rosa parks has reserved for her a seat may she rest in peace and then fox but everyone please join us in saying the pledge to i wonder for flag i pledge allegiance to the flag of the united states of america and to the republic for which is saying one nation under god indivisible with liberty and justice for all train requests for one minute speeches years of doing business the right way food lion founded in salzburg in north carolina one hundred fifty seven today boasts a chain of thirteen hundred supermarkets spread throughout the southeast the mid atlantic states food lines seventy three thousand employees serve more than ten million customers every week and embody the ethic that great service in local communities is a formula for a successful and profitable business this company has shown a true commitment to its employees by offering employees a working environment that focuses not just on good wages but also integrates working conditions and profit sharing arrangements that are some of the best in the retail business and food lines business model doesn't stop at the bottom line or with treating employees right food lying goes back every year to many community organizations and charitable causes including the children's miracle network america's second harvest food banks easter seals the united way the american red cross and local schools food line represents a type of company that helps make north carolina and america great i applaud their fifty years of service to hundreds of communities and wish them many more years of success i yield back under clause five d of rule twenty the chair announces to the house that in light of the passing of the gentleman from indiana miss carson the whole number of the house is four hundred and thirty three percent to clause horror of rule one of the speakers sign the following in rolled joint resolution on thursday december thirteenth two thousand and seven h j read sixty nine making further continuing appropriations for the fiscal year two thousand and eight and for other purposes the chair lays before the house the communication the honorable the speaker house of representatives madam pursuant to the permission granted in clause to a job rule to the rules of the u s house of representatives the clerk received the following message from the secretary of the senate on december fourteenth two thousand seven at two thirteen p m that the senate passed the senate twenty three thirty eight that the senate agreed to the amendment of the house to the text of an title of the bill senate five ninety seven that the senate agreed to the conference report accompanying the bill h r fifteen eighty five that the senate agreed to without amendment house concurrent resolution two sixty nine with best wishes i am signed sincerely the range the miller clerk of the house the honorable to speaker house of representatives madam pursuant to the permission granted in clause to a a rule to other roles of the u s house of representatives the clerk received the following message from the secretary of the senate on december fourteenth two thousand seven at six thirteen p m that the senate passed senate twenty four eighty eight the senate twenty four hundred that the senate passed with an amendment h r thirty six forty eight that the senate passed without amendment h thirty seven thirty nine with best wishes i am science unfairly raincy miller clerk of the house the chair laid before the house the communication the honorable the speaker house of representatives madam pursuant to the permission granted in clause two eight of rule two of the rules of the u s house of representatives the clerk received the following message from the secretary of the senate on december thirteenth two thousand and seven at six fifty five communication the honorable the speaker house of representatives madam 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 december fourteenth two thousand and seven at twelve ten p m that the senate agreed to house amendment to the senate amendment to the bill with an amendment that the senate agreed to the house amendments to the senate amendment to the title of the bill h r six that the senate passed without an amendment h r twenty four zero six h r twenty six seventy one that the senate passed senate thirteen ninety six senate fifteen eighty five sen to clause of rule twenty the chair will postpone further proceedings today on motions this is been the rules on which are recorded vote or the gays and they are ordered or on which the vote is objected to under clause six of rule twenty record votes on postpone questions will be taken later today resolution introduced by congresswoman virginia foxx of north carolina recognizes the six success and importance of the live caught live cut christmas tree industry in the united states it is an appropriate time of the year for congress to consider this resolution as i think that most of us here today have memories of decorating a christmas tree during the holiday season the live cut christmas tree industry ensures that this tradition continues every year for families across the nation likewise there are private forest land owners all over america for whom christmas trees are an important source of income over thirty five million live cut christmas trees are produces here and they are grown in all fifty states christmas tree growers are responsible land stewards who provide wildlife habitat give us cleaner air protect watersheds and improve the environment the economic strength and cultural contribution of this industry makes this resolution worthy of congressional votes for mr speaker that i encourage the support of the bill and i reserve the balance of my time for what purposes the gentle lady from north carolina permission to address the house mitch speaker gentle on his record i mr speaker on deeply honored today to rise as the house considers house resolutely in fifteen a resolution i authored directing as contributions of the christmas tree industry to the united states economy as a christmas tree girl myself i can attest to the importance of recognizing this often overlooked yet highly significant farming industry christmas trees have held an historic place in traditional american family values since eight hundred fifty just as importantly christmas trees play a vital role in the north carolina high country's economy by providing jobs and livelihoods for thousands of north carolinians my district in north carolina is one of the largest producers of live christmas trees in the entire country there are over one thousand six hundred north carolina growers in approximately four hundred shoes and cut christmas tree farms across the state the north carolina christmas tree industry is ranked second in the nation in the number of trees harvested producing over nineteen percent of the real christmas trees in the united states north carolina has an estimated fifty million fraser for christmas trees growing on over twenty five thousand acres representing over ninety five percent of all species grown in north carolina fraser firs are grown tree is the most popular christmas tree in north america and shipped every state in the united states as well as the caribbean islands mexico canada bermuda japan and other points all over the world the north carolina fraser for his soft needles with incomparable needle retention a long lasting arone aroma and more pliable you stronger branches for even the heaviest ornaments through a contest sponsored by the national christmas tree association the north carolina fraser for has been judged the nation's best and has been chosen for the official white house christmas tree ten times more than any other species in one hundred seventy one one hundred seventy three nine hundred eighty two and linda jones a mistletoe meadows christmas tree farm in laurel springs north carolina presently fits in the white house blue room as this year's official white house christmas tree the christmas tree industry supports our economy and the environment christmas trees are grown in all fifty states with north carolina oregon michigan washington wisconsin pennsylvania new york minnesota virginia california and ohio being the top christmas tree producers nationally there are more than twenty one thousand christmas tree growers and more than one hundred thousand people are employed in the live christmas tree industry thirty six million live christmas trees are produced each year and ninety eight percent are sipped her soul directly from christmas tree farms last christmas trees are renewable recyclable resource there are over five hundred thousand acres in production for growing christmas trees in the u s and each acre provides a daily oxygen requirement for eighteen people on average over one thousand five hundred christmas trees are planted per acre providing an abundant habitat for wildlife it can take up to fifteen years to go christmas trees to retail sale height a testament to the commitment growers have to maintaining strong and healthy trees the retail value of all christmas trees harvested in two thousand and four was one point four billion live christmas trees have been so commercially in the united states since eighty fifty by nine hundred one in five american families decorated live cut trees during christmas by nineteen thirty the tree had become a nearly universal part of the american christmas for generations american families have traveled hundreds and thousands of miles to celebrate the holiday season together at home around the christmas tree this year more than ten thousand trees were donated to american troops but over seven hundred fifty christmas tree farmers across the nation these christmas trees were delivered over thirty seven bases across nine hundred eight and over fifteen countries abroad to spread the holiday spirit to our men and women in uniform who are bravely and honorably serving our nation throughout this christmas season i would like to thank the chairman and ranking member of the committee on agriculture and the majority leader for their assistance in getting this resolution to the floor arriage my colleagues to support this measure recognizing this important industry not just for its economic and environmental impact but also for its cultural contribution to the christmas holiday thank rules and agree to house joint resolution fifteen those in favor say aye those oppose no in the opinion of the chair two thirds being in the affirmative the rules are suspended and the joint resolution is passed and without objection the motion to reconsider is laid upon the table speaker i ask unanimous consent that all members may have five legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks covered or gentleman from minnesota  speaker i move to suspend the rules and pass the bill h r thirty four fifty four the clerk will report the time of the bill h r thirty four fifty four a bill to provide for the cafe and of the small parcel of national forest system land  gentleman from minnesota mr peterson in the gentlewoman from north carolina ms fox well each control twenty minutes the chair recognizes the gentleman from minnesota speaker i yield myself such time as i may consume german recognized speaker  support today of h r thirty four fifty four this bill sponsored by mr boucher of virginia i would convey property in the george washington national forest to the central advent christian church of allegheny county virginia the partial consist of no more than eight acres and included in that parcel would be a cemetery and accomplishing approximately six acres just speaker h r thirty four fifty four requires that the church accept the property as the time of the conve condition the exact acreage and legal description of the property to be conveyed will be determined in the survey with u s d a s approval u s d a will also set additional terms and conditions in connection with the conveyance of this property the united states forest service is the knowledge that this particular track to forest land is difficult to manage owning a cemetery tract is inconsistent with the foreign service mission which is why they have attempted to sell this property several times  success i understand the central advent christian church has already been doing basic maintenance on the cemetery grounds conveying this land to the church would enable them to make more significant repairs to the property so this effort deserves congressional sponsored with congressman boucher h r three four five four requires the u s forest service to convey without consideration eight acres of the george washington national forest in allegheny county virginia to the central advent christian church the conveyance includes a six acre cemetery and two additional acres between the cemetery and interstate sixty four well typically the forest service would sell this property under existing authority they did not receive any bids when they attempted to sell it clearly for service should not be in the business of owning a cemetery typically one that has been managed by the community church since one nine hundred forty one under a special use permit the churches tried to acquire the property but for financial and other reasons has been unsuccessful the cemetery also creates a management problems for the agency since it is a fair amount of maintenance associated with it this conveyance makes sense for the federal government and for the community church it will allow the forest service to focus on the seventy four a bill to amend the florida national forest land management to two thousand three to authorize the conveyance of an additional track of national forest to some land under that act and for other purposes pursuant to the rule the r thirteen seventy four h r thirteen seventy four introduced by representatives allen boyd of florida and anders crenshaw four to what demand the florida national forest land management act of two thousand and three and the partial is surrounded by commercial development including a major highway to the north a power easement line easement to the south and private land primarily developed to the east and west the configuration and development makes adequate land management difficult on the track   suitable as managed forest land h r thirteen seventy four specifies that the proceeds of the sale of the track will be used for the purpose of acquiring private lands within the apalachicola national forest h r thirteen seventy four reported by united states forest service a city of tallahassee and leon county as well as by local businesses church and civic groups it is a project that is worthy of congressional report support the speaker i reserve the balance of my time lady from north carolina thank you mr speaker i'd like to echo the sentiments of my colleague and expressed support for h r thirteen seventy four which authorizes the sale of one hundred fourteen acres in the apalachicola national forest in florida the percy proceeds of which can be used only to purchase private in holdings from willing sellers h r thirteen seventy four passed the agriculture committee last week by voice but the land proposed for sale is a small tract that is extremely difficult for the u s forest service to manage given its proximity to the city of tallahassee and the surrounding development properties such as this which contribute little to meeting the forest service mission unfortunately diver scarce resources from other lands that need management in addition to relieving the forest service of the management problems this track creates the bill will also help the agency reduce the number of private in holdings within the forest if the private owners are interested in selling and holding a common problem throughout many national forests in the east and create significant access and management issues for the landowners and the agency are urge adoption of this bipartisan legislation five hundred sixty four thousand acres and is rivers and streams provide a steady fresh water flow to some of the most productive coastal bays and estuaries known for shellfish another commercial seafood portions of the  abound with cypress oak and magnolia watching wildlife hunting and fishing are popular recreation activities in this beautiful national farce visitors of the far east also enjoy swimming picnic boating and camping the apalachicola national forests truly a national treasure and i am very proud this legislation will help strengthen and sustain one our nation's most valuable natural asset as the chairman and the ranking member have said this enables the national forest to sell a piece of property that really lies right on the southside of tallahassee florida in in leon county it actually comes up to the beltway or what we call a capital circle in the surrounded on three sides by commercial development is detached from the rest of the national forest and so it really is as you heard earlier is an unmanageable piece of land and with those proceeds we're going to we're going to use the proceeds to go and purchase some a privately held holdings within the confound of the five hundred sixty four thousand acres what we commonly know is in holdings in that's the only purpose that those funds can be used for there are about two thousand acres of in holding privately hill lands within the appalachian coal national forest and that's what those funds mr speaker would be used for i want to think mr job aka the subcommittee foster subcommittee chairman and his staff director lisa shelton for help and got this legislation through the subcommittee process and i also want to think my friend majority leader mr hoyer for scheduling i encourage our colleagues to pass this legislation and you' the question is will the house suspend the rules and pat h r thirteen seventy four does in favor say aye those opposed no in the opinion the chair two thirds being in the affirmative the rules are suspended the bill is purpose the gentleman from minnesota right for what purpose the gentlewoman from the district of columbia ri mr speaker i move that the house is then the rules and agree on age read as eight fifty six the clerk of court the title of the resolution house resolution eight fifty six resolution expressing heartfelt sympathy for the victims and join my colleagues in consideration of age read a fifty six which expresses heartfelt sympathy for the victims and families of the shootings in omaha nebraska on wednesday december fifth two thousand and seven age was a fifty six which was introduced by representative lee terry on december twelfth two thousand and seven has the support of seventy two members of congress the community of omaha omaha nebraska is experienced as shooting spree at the hands of a troubled teenager carrying a rifle on december fifth sadly nine people died and four others were wounded in the west road mall thankfully first responders the department and douglas and saudi county sheriff's department and omaha fire department all arrived within minutes of the attacks to secure all entrances mr speaker i would like to express great sympathy for the community's tragedy and all of the lives lost i commend my colleagues for sponsoring this measure and i urge the swift passage of the bill i reserve the and tonight generally the woods are jam of california thank you friend the gentleman from california as well as the government reform committee for making sure that this got to the floor and such a timely manner december fifth two thousand and seven that will be a day forever etched in omaha's memory as the day a lone gunman took the lives of eight innocent people at the westroads mall the von maur our store during the holiday shopping season but also be remembered as a day that revealed the true character of omaha tragedy no doubt reveals the true meaning of unity in a command and any community although i will never understand the senseless events that took place in my hometown on december fifth i stand here as a proud citizen congressman of that district because it's in times like these it doesn't matter what party you belong to what your political beliefs are race or creed or color people come together and they ask what can we do to help this city and the eight innocent people i think this is not only the each of the victims and the first responders let me introduce the eight innocent lives that were lost on that day fifty theory year old diane klavan tran described by her family as a gentle generous soft spoken woman who loved the lord she loved to shop and was always smiling she had worked in customer service that von for about eight years sixty five year old john mcdonald retired from northern natural gas whose daughter in fact worked with me and my loftus and john was one of the heroes when he left his place of safety to come out and start yelling some people describe it as rather passionately at the g distract him from turning around in a few feet away it was a room where twelve other innocent people are world hold up john was shot amazingly though he was the last victim before the gunman turned the gun on himself the next that i'm forty eight year old gary scharf who just stopped by bon mauer to pick up some christmas presents before catching a flight out of oman he grew up on a ranch outside curtis nebraska where his funeral was held he was a proud father who leaves behind in one thousand year old son fifty six year old gary joy he was someone everyone could count on he loved his job and like to write poetry his family followed his instructions to have his organs donated they say it was just like gary to help someone else his love was with us again if not only in spirit thirty six year old angie schuster born on valentine's day her boyfriend planned to give her an engagement ring this christmas the preset at her funeral he called angie and her soon to be fiance days love the real thing sixty seven year old janet jorgensen just celebrated her golden anniversary fifty years of marriage to or husband ron just a few months ago she went above and beyond environmental or is there as there were many times she would shop for customers or deliver items to customers homes she was the seamstress and cake maker of the family and for her three children and eight grandchildren she will be missed forty seven year old beverly flynn she took up part time job at van mauer because her mother this mother of three beautiful girls she was also a real estate agent and her trademark was planting rose bushes in the yard of every new home owner and the youngest victim twenty four year old maggie webb she was the new store manager of von mallory one of omaha's finest department stores coworkers describe her as one of the nicest people they'd ever worked for someone whose whole face lit up when she smiled a lot of people will miss her young service and smile last i want to thank our first responders the spirit of omaha also showed itself through the efforts of our first responders the first phone call from the mall came to nine eleven dispatchers at one forty two no voices on the line all that or heard was gunshots what an eerie call by the time the first responders arrived just under six minutes later where the omaha police officer and or sheriff won't open opens the doors and enters this store what a heroic effort by our police officers paramedics firefighters and others when they got to the mall and saw such a grisly scene the images they saw will likely haunt them for the rush of their lives and i thank the men and women who came to face with our whore thank you for keeping us safe and saving lives i also want to praise the spirit of omaha for coming together after this tragedy in closing i'm deeply saddened by this simple th senseless act for my trouble and does disturbed teenager something our city will never forget it is scarred the very heart of our community but i'm proud of our community for its reaction in the way we came together to support the victims and begin the healing of our city thank you once again to government reform for allowing this resolution to come forward and be part of the continuing yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from the first district in nebraska mr important very someone's record and i thank you gentlemen for from california for  congressman kerry for introducing this important resolution and as we have heard mr speaker on wednesday december fifth the insane enthusiasm of the holiday season came to an abrupt halt with an act of senseless brutality at the westroads mall in omaha victims who were killed and the three who were wounded and i should add i appreciate mr kerry's lengthy description of these innocent persons and their lives i think it is also appropriate to recognize their own common heroism and great sacrifices that are now just coming to light if there is a confort in the midst of this difficult time it is the beauty of the human spirit and the good that stood in the midst of this horror and violence diane calvin trent of omaha was a fifty three year old former airline flight attendant who had worked there who had worked for eight years in customer service at dawn maher store in the west roads mall as we have now learned diane did not flee when she saw the gunman she stood she dialed nine one one and gave a description of him and then he turned on her gary scharf forty eight years old of lincoln nebraska my hometown was an agricultural chemical sales manager in the mall to buy a dress shirt when he heard the gunshots gary also called nine one one it appears then that he ran from where he was safe up to where the shooting was taking place as he ran up the escalator he yelled out i called nine one one in an a parent attempt to distract the gunman he also pulled a woman off the escalator out of out of the harm's way before the gunman turned on him mr speaker i happen to know gary and i'm proud to call him a friend john mcdonald was a sixty five year old grandfather and retired natural gas company manager living in council bluffs when the rampage began john took cover with his wife in the customer service area as the gunman entered the customer service area john stood  confronted him and he too was shot as now seems apparent john's courage may have saved the lives of many other people nearby diane gary and john innocently shopping and one minute decided in an instance to let go of a natural tendency to self preservation and to make a great sacrifice for their fellow man others may have acted similarly in ways that we may never know mr speaker i thought you should coming at this time when the whole country comes together in great love and respect with that i will do back the balance of my time as well the question is will the house suspend the rules and agree to house resolution eight five six those in favor say aye those opposed no the main in the  announcement further proceedings on this motion will be postpone resolution honoring local and state first responders and the citizens of the pacific northwest and facing the severe winter storm on december second and third two thousand and seven percent to the role of the gentleman from the district of columbia ms norton and the join my colleagues and consideration of h r three nine one one a bill to designate the the syllabi in the united states post office located in ninety five street in jesup pennsylvania as a lance corporal dennis james that are post office h h r not at three nine one one was introduced by representative christopher carney a pennsylvania on october twenty second was reported from the oversight committee on december twelfth by voice vote this measure which has been co sponsored by eighteen members has the support of the entire pennsylvania congressional delegation landscape corporal of ater was wounded and our province iraq and died of his lady reserve some of california thank you speaker and i yield myself such time as i may consume germans recognize i join with my colleague my colleague from the district of columbia in supporting the naming of this post office after lance corporal dennis that or he was a dedicated marine who enlisted in two thousand for upon his high school graduation and entered the marine corps reserve at age seventeen following in his marine sergeant major father the lance corporal wanted to serve his country and he wanted to make a difference on march ninth two thousand and seven just two weeks before his scheduled return to united states lance corporal vetter was mortally injured while conducting combat operations in anbar province iraq he leaves behind his young family and his fiance who planned who they planned to marry upon his return and his fourteen month old son dominic lance corporal did not die in vain today a lot of our province is safer because of the work that he and the other marines did there and so i join with my colleagues on the other side of the aisle in thinking it's very  from the tenth district and i course i rise to support of my bill thirty nine eleven i'd like to take a moment to to really talk about dennis feeder and honor him and those of pennsylvania's to have congressional district he was born in quantico and then move to pennsylvania where i graduated from add me to heights high school in two thousand and four at the age of seventeen he enlisted in the marine corps reserves and then it's probably followed in the footsteps of his father retired marine sergeant major unfortunately as we've already found out two weeks before his scheduled return he was mortally injured while conducting combat operations in the albar province in iraq and he died of his bones in fallujah last corporal dentist james vader died fighting for our freedom he is truly a hero and he represents what is best about pennsylvania's to congressional district it is my hope that by naming the post office at ninety five church street in jessup pennsylvania as the lance corporal that is james vader post office the future generation will remember what this brave young man did for them i urge all members of congress to autor this hero and vote in favor of this legislation are you back with speaker so many of us back some of california i have no further speakers without a yield back the balance of my time in california back to lady district of columbia well may i commend the gentleman from pennsylvania for for thinking to do something that we rarely see we see  post office honoring members of congress honoring judges honoring very honorable people in my service on this committee i've not seen a post office name for a young person who has died recently and battle and do you think it is an important way to indicate that particularly to the family  to what must surely be for a very young man man many who knew him and look forward to his returning just two weeks from the time he died and that  memory will live not only with this congress and this resolution but permanently with a united states post office in his honor we are pleased that we were able to  dedicate this resolution before the end of this congress because this young man died just on in march of two thousand and seven in the opinion the chair two thirds being in the affirmative the rules are suspended the bill is passed and without objection the motion to reconsider is laid upon the table facility of the united states postal service located at one seventy five south monroe street and tip in ohio as we call each gilmore post office building pursuant to the rule of the gentleman from the district of columbia ms norton and the gentleman from california mr eissa each will control twenty minutes the chair recognizes the gentleman from the district of columbia mr speaker i join my colleagues in consideration of as to one seven four which designates this is still the of the united states postal service located at one seventy five thousand monro street in tiffin ohio as the pauline gilmore post office building s two one seven four was introduced by senator vantage of ohio on october seventeenth  set the thousand seven and rip and reported by boyce vote on december twelfth two thousand and seven and congressman gilmore was serving his tenth term in the united states has to represent then it is representing the fifth congressional district in ohio until his untimely death in september two thousand and seven i know that the entire house grieved and was shocked to learn that that representative gilmore died right here and at his home the place where he prepared to come to this very house is very much missed on both sides of the aisle and is a very appropriate way to remember this longtime member of the house of representatives i miss the speaker i commend senator boehner bitch for seeking to honor the legacy of our la colleague and offer condolences to the family of representative gilmore and his colleagues in the all hot congressional delegation and those in his district iris with passage of this bill carson gilmore cared for the people of his district he was dedicated to serving them i was taught by my father served in this chamber for thirty years that a true public servant was an individual that sees how much they could give of themselves to the people they represent and i truly believe that paul did exactly that and i think that is a fitting tribute to the name the united states post office in tiffin to heil in his honor because he and selfishly gave of his time in his energy to serve the citizens not only again of the second senate district but if its congressional district for over forty years it is truly an honor for me to follow the congressman to serve in this seat are the condolences of every member of this this house and for that matter the the commendation to our to our coll support for this bill i traveled extensively with paul gilmore he was a close friend of henry hyde and love to be an advocate for a better understanding not just of the state of ohio but of our nation abroad and it's very be fitting that we do this and do this in a timely fashion and with that i yield back and and movie support for the bill will jump any old fact the question is will the house suspend the rules and pass that bill twenty one seventy four those in favor say aye those opposed no in the opinion the chair two thirds being in the affirmative the rules are suspended the bill is passed and without objection the motion to reconsider is laid upon the table congratulating the colorado rockies on winning the national league championship and playing in the two thousand and seven world series first thought to the rule the gentleman from the district of columbia ms norton and the gentleman from california mr isay each will control twenty minutes the thousand and seven portas from the oversight committee on december twelfth two thousand and seven as amended by voice vote this measure is going co sponsored by fifty four members the colorado rockies defy the odds this year mr speaker winning the two thousand and seven national league championship and capturing the best hopes of coloradans and giving us all a reason to cheer for their success speaker recommend my colleague for the recognition the the  recognized speaker i rise today to urge passage passage of age resonate sixteen congratulating the colorado rockies for winning the national league and participating in the world series mr speaker to go to the world series is to be special to win it is a fifty fifty chance so i think it is appropriate when we look at a team that had won twenty one of twenty two games defeating the philadelphia phillies  the division syria's series and the arizona diamondbacks for the national league championship to claim their spot in the world series that in fact we in congress take a few moments before our colleagues many of them arriving back from their districts to to add this to what we will celebrate for america tonight because nothing is greater to celebrate for america than it's past time a baseball particularly at a time when we are cleaning up baseball rules and agree to house resolution eight sixteen 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 and the resolution is agreed to and without objection the motion to reconsider is laid upon the table without objection the title is amended facility of the united states postal service located at eight twenty four manatee avenue west and right in florida at the dan miller post office building pursuant to the rule the gentleman from the district of columbia ms norton and the gentleman from california mrs speaker i'm pleased to join my colleagues in consideration of h r for three for two designating the facility of the united states postal service located at eight hundred four manatee avenue west  bradenton florida as the dan miller post office building h r four three four two which is introduced by representative buchanan of florida on december chan's two thousand and seven was reported from the oversight committee on december twelfth two thousand and seven by the voice vote this measure has been co sponsored by the entire florida delegation representative dan miller represented florida's thirteenth district in this house from one thousand nine hundred two to two thousand and two c teaching at the university of south florida and is developing the manner so the institute of public policy and leadership at the sarasota campus of the university of southern florida former representative miller's efforts in congress as well as in speaker congressman to be candid was not able to be here but he would ask unanimous consent that his and be put in the record in the appropriate position at this time thank you mr speaker i served with congressman dan miller he unlike most members of congress came here said he would stay for a period of time as the founding fathers thought and return to his life at home he was elected from the thirteenth district  florida in one thousand nine hundred two and after ten years five terms retired in two thousand and three he did so not to seek higher office not for any reason except that he fought felt that he came here for a period of time served for the time he promised and went back he has in fact returned to his life and appropriately has resettled in southwest florida at the university of south florida i look forward to seeing him up here again some day i look forward to his continued process process of participating here in helping those of us in congress it is unusual for a member of congress to come stay for a period of time and not return  to lobbying not seek higher office but in fact to go back to being the citizen that he can be and to give to his community and to be available should we need him or speaker i join with my colleagues and the government reform someone from california question is will the house suspend the rules and pass h r forty three forty two those in favor say aye but those opposed no in the opinion the chair two thirds being in the affirmative the rules are forty two ten o'clock a report the time of the bill h r forty two ten a bill to designate the facility of the united states postal service located at four zero one washington avenue and weldon north carolina at the  post office building pursuant to the rule the gentleman from the district of columbia ms norton the gentleman from california mr isay each will control twenty minutes the chair recognizes the gentleman from the district of columbia to bill designate philip not a phase post office located for one washington avenue and well to north carolina as the doc brown post office building h r forty two ten which is introduced by representative g k butterfield in north carolina on november fifteenth two thousand and seven was imported from the oversight committee on december twelfth this measure has been co sponsored by twelve members and has the support of the entire our north carolina congressional delegation brown was a dutiful and loyal public servant to the city of well the north carolina as a teacher and served as principal for more than thirty years in the school system in addition to his dedication to strengthening academia doc brown also served eight years as a halifax county commissioner two years in the north carolina in the north carolina two years in the north carolina house of representatives for district seven eight years as commissioner on the weldon town board and served also on the state agriculture committee c of weldon is greatly touched by his good work his dedication is efforts to strengthen their community and the speakers with passage of this bill brown was a dedicated public servant a member of the community and a shining example as a local leader a veteran of the korean war mr brown served his community as an educator and a politician during more than thirty year tenure as a teacher and principal at how a flock acts county north carolina he also served on the community health ford chaired the county election board and served one thousand years on the mental health board truly this those opposed no in the opinion the chair two thirds being in the affirmative the rules are suspended and the bill is passed and without objection the motion to reconsider is laid upon the table for what purpose the gentleman from the district of columbia right  mrs speaker i move to the house suspend the rules and agree to h r one hundred twenty as amended the clerk report the title of the bill h r forty two twenty a bill to encourage the twenty the federal food donation act is amended is a modest measure designed to help address a very large problem hunger in america in two thousand and twenty five million people in this country including nine million children had to rely on soup kitchens and other charitable food programs to help meet their nutritional needs introduced by representative joe and emerson emerson h r forty two twenty requires federal agencies to include in their food service and space rental contract a provision that would encourage contractors any surplus food to nonprofit organizations that provide assistance to the hungry this bill builds on the work of some innovative nonprofit organizations that have been conducting similar programs in the private sector th includes visions that will ensure that cost of collecting transporting and storing donated food would not be borne by the federal government and that executive a disease in context would be protected from civil or criminal liability i urge my colleagues to support this bill with thirty five million individuals including twelve million children either experiencing hunger or teetering right on the verge of hunger each year the american people expect us to take every reasonable action possible to address this crisis the american people are generous with their time and with their resources and particularly during the christmas season they're willing to make the extra effort to donate their time at a soup kitchen or provide groceries to a food pantry unfortunately the need for these donations is real and it's growing the federal food donation active is one small way the federal government can mirror the everyday lives of the constituents we serve this legislation would require executive agencies who serve food on their premises to encourage the donation of excess food to nonprofit organizations such food rescue efforts can be useful to the more than forty three thousand soup kitchens and food pantries on the frontlines that aling hunger our constituents are willing to search through their pantries to donate excess food and so should we mr speaker i'd like to thank chairman waxman and ranking member davis for their efforts on behalf of the hungry the changes to this legislation made during committee markup are an improvement that will enhance the scope and impact this legislation will have i'd also like to thank there at dedicated staff for their time and counsel in drafting this legislation i'd also like to particularly thank the dedicated individuals that rocket and wrap it up for their efforts and conceiving and promoting this concept this nonprofit organization has specialized in food recovery and has been thinking outside the box in the battle against hunger for years mr speaker the effects of rising food prices have already been felt by our partners who serve the hungry we learned today that the u s conference of mayors from the u s conference of mayors that their constituents are seeking emergency food aid more frequently and more homeless families are seeking shelter more resources are clearly needed the federal food donation act may be a small step in the overall battle against hunger but it is one worth taking i urge a yes vote on h r forty two twenty  for this bill and for so many other important issues mr speaker i rise in support of h r four two two zero the food donation act of two thousand and seven let me begin by commending the sponsor of this legislation congresswoman jo ann emerson congresswoman emerson is a true champion for the hungry in this country she's a friend who doesn't just talk about hunger but is a leader in the effort to fight an end hunger in this country it's not an easy effort and i know that she has to work to convince people around this country and  building that there are people who still go without food in this great nation of ours she is a shining example of someone who puts partisanship aside and works towards a goal that should be achievable so i want to thank congresswoman emerson for a steadfast leadership on this issue and for and introducing this important legislation i also want to thank a chairman waxman a ranking member davis and other members of the oversight and government reform committee for their quick and thorough work on this bill mr speaker hunger is getting worse in america more than thirty five point five million people went hungry in the united states in two thousand and six an increase of more than three hundred thousand from two thousand and five there are many in congress who talk about the booming economy and economic growth but it is clear that millions of americans are not benefit benefiting from this so called economic expansion the costs of living in america are rising energy costs are increasing food prices continue to go up and the housing crisis is straining the budgets of middle and lower income families the reality is that many americans are walking a fiscal tightrope where any economic change or family crisis like an unexpected illness or job loss could force people to go without food for a period of time that we are even talking about any person going hungry in the richest and most prosperous nation in the world is an embarrassment and we should all be ashamed for not doing more to combat hunger here at home  forty two twenty is a good step in the fight against hunger unfortunately it's not going to end hunger in america but it will provide one more way to fight hunger as has already been described the federal food donation act would require executive agencies who serve food on their premises to encourage the donation of excess food to nonprofit organizations such as food rescue efforts can be particularly useful to the more than forty three thousand soup kitchens and food pantries on the  frontlines battling hunger the oversight and government reform committee broaden the scope of this bill and i'm especially pleased the bill was expanded to include the department of defense the reality is that food costs are increasing in america's food banks the safety net of our anti hunger system is straining to meet this need according to a new report released today by the u s conference of mayors requests for food inc increase every requests for food increased an average of twelve percent over the last year yet the same time a recent washington post article reports that the capital area food bank the emergency food system for washington d c had only two hundred thirty thousand pounds of food on the shelves down from five hundred seventy thousand pounds at this time last year nationwide food donations to food banks is expected to fall short of the need by fifteen million pounds mr speaker we need to do more to address and ultimately end hunger in america the federal safety net developed over the years the food stamp program meals on wheels school meals in emergency food system is working but it is strained private organizations like catholic charities in the nation's food banks just to name two examples are filling the gaps where they can it is time we commit to any hunger once and for all it is time that we dedicate the resources to our great nation to ending this scourge the federal food donation act is a good first step and i'm pleased that the house is acting on it today mr speaker i asked his consent to insert into the record at this point two articles documenting the shortage of food for the hungry in this country and one article announcing the u s conference of mayors report on hunger and homelessness and i yield back the balance of my time with objects and so order four two two zero up the federal food donation act of two thousand and seven as as mrs emerson said so well the effort to aid nonprofit organizations to serve the hungry will be advanced by this bill and its amendment to the federal acquisition regulations and to encourage federal agencies and contractors to donate excess foods such as food to food pantries food shelters and homes for the homeless this bill also seeks to protect agencies and contractors from civil or criminal liabilities associated with these types of donations it is sad but true in this country that often good deeds go punished as a result of the advent of those who would profit by suing over the good deeds of others this bill tries to balance those two to encourage the good deeds of others and to shelter them from the type of of adverse behavior that perhaps maybe this congress needs to really establish a select committee on hunger like we did years ago when it was chaired by mr mchugh leland from texas and also the gentleman from missouri mr bill emerson  from from missouri and also the gentleman from ohio mr tony hall i believe that as a member of the committee at that time we were very very much into the concerns that were expressed quite eloquently my my good friend the gentleman from massachusetts the problems that we're dealing with in the subject of hunger i think we are moving in the right direction and i just wanted to note mr speaker that this issue of hunger really needs to be addressed seriously and i want to commend the gen lady from missouri for her efforts not only didn't it doing to the legacy of her husband but the fact that this is a very serious issue and i wish it perhaps my colleagues in the leadership of the house will reestablish a select committee on hunger like we did years goals so that we will not forget we will not forget we're moving in the right direction we need to do more for the needy and for the poor ever that was speaker are you about the balance of my times i mean become life saving year around operations what has occurred ironically over the past couple of years is a development the none of us  paid a shortage of food in these food banks of whatever description and they come in part because of the efficiency of the food industry itself the food industry itself has become increasingly like many other industries in our country increasingly efficient so that there is less food to give away we greed and welcome better  y and we understand the need for it especially in the food industry where the profit margin margins are so narrow the same time our agricultural industry has  importantly is that there is less food that is excess food to give away so that you have not profits throughout the country some of them have been cited in in the remarks of my colleagues because they are well known as having originated here like the capital food bank bread for the city or so others may eat and not to mention the churches which were the first to step up and perform this service we just gotta find a way to get what we know is excess food that all of us understand have seen all of us know no exist to where that food is most needed and i believe that of the many things we could do the bill offered by the image emerson is certainly one way to begin to  attention to what contractors may do may do as an act of good will without incurring any burden on themselves indeed it should be a great burden at a time like this to spoil a throw as amended those in favor say aye i know in the opinion the chair two thirds being in the affirmative the rules are suspended the bill is passed and without objection the motion to reconsider is laid upon the union calendar number three zero three h r thirty one seventy nine a bill to a man title forty united states code to authorize the use of federal supply schedules for the act vision of law enforcement security and certain other related items public safety safety equipment from the federal supply schedules maintained by the general services administration opening of the federal supply schedules to state local governments has bipartisan support in past years contracts gadgil have been  open for information technology and goods and services needed to respond and prevent terrorism to the state and local government state local government should be able to enjoy the price and convenient advantages that the schedule schedules provide akam in my colleague with speaker i rise today in strong support of h r thirty one seventy nine the local preparedness acquisition act mr townsend the entire committee recognized government oversight and reform recognize that the g s a schedule is more than just a list of places things that can be bought at a given price price is in fact the good housekeeping seal of approval g s a goes to great lengths to ensure that products are appropriate for purchase and that they are a good value leveraging that capability and the federal money already spent to allow states and local governments to participate in this acquisition serves two good purposes it increases the value of seeking a g s a schedule and in fact it saves money and overhead for state and local agencies i join with my colleague from the district of columbia and mr chalons in asking for the shoes with passage of this bill and yield back the balance of one seven nine the matter that has been introduced by mr towns of new york which is entitled the local preparedness acquisition act this is a fine piece of legislation and i urge our colleagues to vote yes on this matter  speaker the calendar is moving very quickly today unlike many other days that we have in this body and so i have come to the floor to speak to a matter that has already been passed on the calendar and so i want to very briefly comment on a piece of legislation that was considered just a few moments ago that is h r four two one zero that is a bill that i introduced to name the post office located at four one washington avenue and weld in north carolina  after a very dear friend of many many years mr duck embryo and we are seeking to name this post office as the duck m brown post office building dot brown mr speaker has been a friend and supporter for many years he is a pillar of leadership in the hell affects county community and throughout our congressional district and i might say parent that it clear mr speaker that the general lady from the district of lumpia also has roots in h brown doc brown's father as was my father was a veteran of world war one doc would soon follow in his father's footsteps by also serving our country as a sergeant in the united states army  graduate from that institution doc brown was drafted into the united states army and was given orders to fight in the korean war doc brown served twelve long months and career before returning to fort bragg north carolina and his native home state to serve out the remainder of his tour immediately after his discharge doc brown resumed his education at show university where he received his undergraduate degree in history to fulfill his dream of becoming a schoolteacher doc attended another great institution which was my alma mater north carolina central university in durham north carolina where he received a master's degree in sociology and school administration that brown was an extraordinary educator he is an extraordinary educate him he taught history at wilton high school and eastman high school for twenty four years and service principal of pitmen high school for ten years his positive impact on the youth and halifax county cannot be measured he touched so many young lives and it was doc brown encouragement that has served as the catalyst and foundation that propel many of those young people to grow into well established productive progressive citizens doc brown also served as an appointed official in halifax county he served on the county board of health and for nineteen years he served on the board of mental health where he served as chairman for the last four years of his tenure he was honored with a lifetime achievement award from the state mental health association for his tireless dedication to the issue of mental health he served seven years as a trustee at elizabeth city state university and two years as an appointee to the governor's commission to evaluate superior court judges mr speaker doug brown has also served as we do as any lek did official for eight years he served as a county commissioner in halifax county two years in the north carolina house of representatives representing district seven eight years as a commissioner on the weld town board for his son tearing service to the state of north carolina doug brown was awarded the order of the wrongly pine by then governor james b one junior this is the highest civilian honor granted to a citizen in north carolina religion has played a major part in the life of the crown he has been an active member of the first baptist church run a graphics since the age of eleven where he served in medical pass it is including that of ordained deacon for more than fifty years he has been married to his devoted wife helen brooks brown for fifty four years together they have reared two children doc brown jr and ivy brown singleton i v is married to lieutenant colonel te singleton the second who proudly served in the united states army i am so proud mr speaker to have authored this legislation to honor this individual doc brown has dedicated his entire life to serving others and has has touched entire generation young people this legislation has the support the entire support bipartisan support of my delegation urge my colleagues to vote yes on h r afforded to to end our year back as the german stated forty two ten as already been passed perhaps the average person would believe that states would be in the same position as the united states government because they buy a great deal of services that the same kinds of efficient cost and scale and efficiency which comes with ordering large amounts of the same time we would come to states as well that is not always the case and even if it is there's no state as bill as it's large or that orders as much as the united states of america and it does seem to me all together appropriate that states and localities have the same access to the g s a schedule as the united states and its agencies have this ability to use the schedule on which firms have precomputed sure that a competition has probably properly occurred there can often be many delays you cannot of course in some respects get around those inherent delays but with respect to many goods and services that are on the will be in better shape say taxpayers money and therefore i strongly support this bill and ask other members of the house to do so as well with that mr speaker i yield back the balance of my time all time having expired the question is will the house suspend the rules and pat h r thirty one seventy nine those in favor say aye aye those opposed no in the opinion the chair two thirds being in the affirmative the rules are suspended the bill is passed and without objection the motion to reconsider is laid upon the table resolution two seventy concurrent resolution to make corrections in the enrollment of the bill h r fifteen ninety three pursuant to the rule of the gentleman from michigan mr connors and the john of from ohio m without objection general leave is granted john from michigan mr speaker i ask unanimous consent that all members have five legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on this resolution and you know myself as much time as i may concern objects as order judgments recognize mr speaker and members of the house this concurrent resolution makes technical and conforming changes to the second chance act h r one five nine three to expedite its proper enrollment the house passed the second chance act in november on suspension by a vote of three hundred forty seven to sixty two may i note for the record that this is the tenth year and during three congresses that this legislation has been worked on debated and witnesses been voted on and now we come here today to make some technical changes and with our holiday wishes send this measure on its way the second chance act strengthens overall crime fighting efforts by helping give ex offenders tools for staying out of child support for job skills stable living arrangement substance abuse treatment health services and other very basic resources to successfully rejoin society and lead productive in law abiding lives it enjoys clearly wide bipartisan support this concurrent resolution expedites the process of finalizing the bill and sending it to the president in this session of congress by making a few corrections brought to our attention after the bill passed the house last month such as standardising certain criteria in the process for three different kinds of grants and clarifying eligibility for a prison pilot program it's a good measure that corrections here are technical only and i am proud to bring it to the attention of my colleagues for passage as urgently as possible in the reserve the balance  support the resolution making corrections day chuck fifty ninety three the second chance act of two thousand and seven on the rember thirteenth two thousand and seven the house passed the second chance act of two thousand and seven this resolution makes technical changes in three sections of the bill first a resolution modify sections one eleven and one twelve to require the states pay no less than fifty percent of the grant funds to establish reentry courts of the prosecution drug treatment alternative program second resolution eliminates section two thirty one one g the technical requirement that eligible elderly prisoners who qualify for early release also satisfy the existing law for the compassionate release program i urge my colleagues to support this resolution and to reserve the opinion the chair two thirds being in the affirmative the rules are suspended the concurrent resolution is agreed to and without objection the motion to reconsider is laid upon the table resolution honoring the united states marine corps for serving and defending the united states on the anniversary of its founding on november tenth seven hundred seventy five pursuant to the rule the gentleman from new hampshire mitch shape order the gentleman from south carolina mr wilson each will control twenty minutes the chair recognizes the gentleman from new hampshire mr speaker i yield myself such time as i may consume and ask in this consent that all members have five legislative  days in which to revise and extend the remarks in the resolution under consideration with objection so ordered the gentleman is recognized as such time machine may consider this a stake or i want to first start out by thanking my distinguished colleague on the armed services committee robin ha for his work on this bill and his continued support for the marine corps i'd also like to thank deborah way to enjoy hcan from the committee staff for their work to bring this to the floor this is speaker this year the united states marine corps celebrates two hundred thirty two years of devoted service this year's celebration like those of years before commemorates generations of service to our country and reminds us of their commitment to our freedom and their selflessness this is an enduring trait of their past present and future as soldiers our marines have fought valiantly to protect democracy and human liberty when those essential free and for threatened around the world in our most dire time the marine corps step to the forefront in places like what a canal you would jima okinawa guam for those from that generation who are still with us this resolution celebrates you as peacekeepers our marines have stood between rebels and refugees providing safe haven in aid in the balkans into nations in africa south america southeast asia and the middle east to those brave marines this resolution is for you as preservative democracy marines have protected us from foreign diplomats as they sought to restore peace and stability to war torn nations in places like  they often paid the ultimate price this resolution is for them as liberators marines were the first conventional u s ground forces in afghanistan toppling the taliban government that sheltered al qaeda and the complacent in the attacks of september eleventh  marine corps has lost forty men and women during operation during freedom this resolution honors them as heroes marines have earned the medal of honor two hundred ninety eight times the distinguished service cross four hundred seventeen times and the navy cross two thousand one hundred sixty eight times but they don't do it for the medals or the ribbons they it for the people of the united states to the more than two hundred one hundred thousand marines in the active duty m e serious this resolution see you thank you for your service to our led by represent robin hayes on the armed services committee for bringing it to the floor for our consideration as a proud co sponsor i am honored to have this opportunity to celebrate the united states marine corps and recognize their two hundred thirty two years of service to our nation on november the tent seven hundred seventy five the second kernel congress passed a resolution that called for two battalions of marines to be race for use as naval infantry from that day forward marin have defended this nation in every american military conflict their first combat in the bahamas in seven hundred seventy six under the leadership of captain samuel nicholas the officer who is considered by most to be the first marine commandant though the marines were disbanded following the revolutionary war they were reestablished on july eleventh seventeen ninety eight and from that day forward have protected and defended americans and our allies around the world from europe to the philippines south america to asia in the middle east marines have fought in every corner of the world in addition to traditional military duties marines protect our embassies and dignitaries from around the world they have served in humanitarian capacity bring relief and aid to citizens and other nations as well in the global war on terrorism seventy six thousand marines have been deployed to iraq to help establish peace root out insurgent remnants and our kind of terrorist and bring stability to that young democracy and i am grateful for my son a naval doctor who is working with the marines in iraq today as part of operation enduring freedom in afghanistan marines have help topple the repressive taliban regime and dismantled the al qaida network for their service on these two fronts in the global war on terrorism marines have been decorated with thousands of honors and medals these decorations include seven thousand seven hundred twenty purple hearts for wounds suffered during combat and eight hundred sixty six bronze stars with the four exceptional valor in the combat situation since the inception of the united states marine corps two hundred ninety eight marines have earned the congressional medal of honor our nation's highest military honor on a personal note the second district of south carolina which i have the honor of representing is home of the ring corps air station buford and parris island all marine kreutz recruits east of the mississippi river go through parris island and we're also home to the buford naval hospital marines are the most elite fighting force in our military their reputation for professionalism and selfless studi has earned them the thanks of a grateful nation and the appreciation millions around the world over two centuries of service and sacrifice my late father in law major julian dusenberry in my late brother in law dusenberry we're proud marines and our family especially appreciates the service of the marine corps on behalf of my colleagues in the house of representatives and the american people i want to thank the tireless men and women of the united states marine corps for their service and sacrifice each and every day they're working to protect our nation and our allies around the world and i encourage all of my colleagues to join me in supporting it and express our most humble appreciation for the few the proud the marines i yield back the balance of my time i reserve the balance of my time german reserve thank you and leave new hampshire at this time i have no further requests for time and i'm prepared to close the marine corps ably served to assist the people of pakistan in their recovery from the horrific incidents of the earthquake and it was so reassuring to visit and see the hospitals that they set up with female doctors and due to the cultural concerns of the people in that region it had just an extraordinary impact i had the privilege of meeting with president musharraf who indicated that at that time the most famous toys the most appreciated toy in all of pakistan was a chinook helicopter representing the deep affection of the people of pakistan for the marine corps and their service you know the balance of my time the question is will the house suspend the rules and agree to house concurrent resolution two four six those in favor please say i oppose no in the opinion the chair two thirds being in the affirmative the rules are suspended the concurrent resolution is agreed to and without objection the motion to reconsider is laid upon the table unconditional support of the house of representatives for the members of the national guard pursuant to the rule the gentleman from new hampshire michelle porter and the gentleman from south carolina mr wilson each will control twenty minutes the chair recognizes the gentleman from new hampshire mr speaker i yield myself such time as i might consume and ask unanimous consent that all members have five legislative days with the ways in to revise and extend remarks on the resolution under consideration as so ordered the gentle lady is recognized for such time as she may consume this is speaker i rise today in support of the national guard and in celebration of their three hundred seventy one years of service i would like to thank my colleague from florida jenny brown wait for bringing this measure to the floor in my state of the hampshire the first citizen militia formed in sixteen twenty three with the settlement of portsmouth in sixteen seventy nine the new hampshire nasa guard was formally established marking the humble beginnings of my state's storied tradition of service today nearly two thousand seven hundred men and women continue that same tradition of service in the new hampshire national guard and they too are distinguishing themselves on the battlefield and at home in new hampshire are guardsmen routinely perform search and rescue operations they respond to floods into ice to insist threaten the region each year and the new hampshire guard joined many other states answered the call to aid victims from hurricane katrina the story of selfless sacrifice is not unique to the members of the new hampshire's national guard but it is one example about all national guards and put others before self and their service and sacrifice is honored here in this bill today over thirty thousand guardsmen a serving on the ground in the skies over iraq and afghanistan as we celebrate the national guard for its three hundred seventy one years of service our thoughts are with those men and women who continue to serve bravely overseas and with their families back home and our hearts are heavy remembering the four hundred eighty three army air guardsmen who have given their last great measure of devotion for them we vowed to care for their families and to honor their sacrifice thank you mr speaker i reserve the balance of my time and l carolina mr speaker i rise jane support of house resolution five four two which expresses the unconditional support of the house of representatives for the members of the national guard i certainly want to thank the chairman and ranking members of the armed services committee as we all know december thirteenth was the three hundred seventy first birthday of the national guard i could not think of a better way to celebrate this tremendous milestone than to honor the men and women who serve in the national guard with the resolution that's before us today the national guard certainly serves a unique purpose its main duty of course is to secure and defend our homeland however the national guard also plays a vital role in aiding states where natural disasters strike whether it is helping to harness the wildfires that recently raged throughout california or aiding in the aftermath of hurricanes or tornadoes in florida and across the southeast the national guard has been there lending a helping hand while helping out in times of need across the united states leaves a lasting impact it is the work that the national guard does and beyond our borders that truly sets it apart when national guard units are called up the men and women who answer the call leave their careers families and loved ones behind these men and women put their lives on hold to protect this great country and for that we must be eternally grateful in fact over three  hundred twenty nine thousand members of the national guard have been mobilized in support of numerous military operations since september eleventh two thousand and one the national guard units from my district have played a critical role in many of these operations and i want to take this opportunity to thank them for everything they do in defense of all of our freedoms their contributions have been a tremendous asset and without the national guard the united states armed forces would not be able to operate at the high level it currently does as many of you know an issue that is extremely important to me and the people of my district and most likely leave your district t is illegal immigration and the need for greater border security that's why it's also important to note that the national guard is playing a vital role in protecting our borders there are currently six thousand national guardsmen serving along our borders doing their best to stem the tide of illegal immigration that threatens this country the national guard is playing an ever increasing role in the defense of our great country and i  colleagues to show their support for the sacrifices these men and women make by supporting this resolution thank you mr speaker and i yield back the balance of my time might consume germans recognize thank you mr speaker i want to represent james brown wait for introducing this resolution and my colleagues on the armed services committee for bringing it to the floor for our consideration as a proud co sponsor i am honored to have this opportunity to recognize the contributions of our citizen soldiers in the united states national guard from the earliest days of our country's founding to today average americans have stepped forward to serve their nation soldiers of the national guard have served in a every major combat throughout our great history and sent september eleventh they have taken a tremendous role in support of the global war on terrorism in iraq and afghanistan since these terrible attacks six years ago three hundred twenty nine thousand nine hundred eighty two members of the national guard have been mobilized for military operations around the world unlike their traditional military comrades national guard members are not career military soldiers they are most often employed in other careers and served when called upon to assist with combat operations and as first responders during domestic emergencies and rescue and recovery situations this unique role underscores an immense dedication to their patriotic duty and to this country nation as a thirty one year veteran of the army reserve and national guard i'm honored to have known and worked with many of these extraordinary and dedicated individuals my former unit the two eighteenth's mechanized infantry brigade of the south carolina army national guard is currently serving in afghanistan under the leadership of brigadier general bob livingston it's eighteen hundred troops is the largest deployment of national guard since world war two i have visited the troops in june august and november and i know firsthand they are training afghanis police and military forces to help that young democracy stand on its own two feet the best way to stop terrorism is to nice terrorist safe havens anywhere in the world additionally my son alan was deployed with the south korean national guard to iraq along with my son julian with guard service in egypt and my family and i are grateful for their service and the service of their comrades led by major general stan spears america's longest serving edge in general aren't family knows that national guard membership is rewarding for service for america and for our state while receiving extraordinary opportunities for education travel and meeting talented people of competence and patriotism and i encourage every american to consider national guard service with this resolution we recognize the contributions of the guard but we also pledge to support their efforts with the necessary resources and express our deepest gratitude to the families who loved ones serve this nation above all deepest sympathies go to the families of those whose loved ones have been lost on but half of my colleagues in the house of representatives and the american people i want to thank the brave men and women of the guard for their service in times of peace in times of war they're working to protect our nation and our allies around the world and the citizens here at home i want to thank representative brown wait for introducing this resolution i encourage all of my colleagues to join me in supporting it and express our most humble appreciation for the citizen soldiers of the national guard and i yield back the balance of my time germany back all t having been yielded the question is will the house suspend the rules and agree to house resolution five forty two as amended does in favor say aye aye those opposed no any opinion it's fair two thirds being in the affirmative favor of taking this vote by the azan name will rise and remain standing until counted after sufficient number having arisen the azan names are ordered pursuant to clause eight of ru twenty and the chairs prior announcement for the proceedings on this motion shall be postpone for what purposes gentle lady from new hampshire writes mrs speaker i move to suspend the rules and pass h r thirty seven ninety three as amended the clerk of court the title of the bill h r thirty seven ninety three bill to i'm entitled thirty seven united states code to require the secretary of defense to continue to pay to a member of the armed forces who is retired were separated from the armed forces due to a combat related injury certain bonuses that the member was entitled to before their retirement or separation and would continue to be entitled to as the member was not retired were separated pursuant to the rule the gentleman from new hampshire michele porter and the gentleman from south carolina mr wilson each will control twenty minutes the chair recognizes the gentleman from new hampshire 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 their remarks and extend extend remarks in the resolution under consideration without objection so ordered the gentle lady is recognized for such time as you make and so mr speaker today the house has a unique opportunity to clarify the law to protect the financial security of wounded veterans their families and the families of soldiers who have been killed in the line of duty as recently as last month we have heard a number of cases in the media suggesting that the department of defense has been requiring soldiers wounded in combat to pay back part of their lives bonuses if they hadn't yet served their full term or even worse that it would require these benefits to be paid back by the grieving families of soldiers who made the ultimate sacrifice for our country quite simply this is wrong if a soldier signed up to serve our country and is unable to serve out the full term of his or her listen to two rooms received in the line of duty this soldier should not then be asked return any part of their signing bonus for a soldier has faced the hardships of battle and who is now facing the challenges of recovery we should not add the additional burden of paying back money that is rightfully theirs mr speaker h r thirty seven ninety three the veterans guaranteed bonus act of two thousand and seven and see uncertainty about the policy it makes clear that this nation will never attempt to recruit bonuses and benefits from wounded veterans or grieving families it mandates that unpaid bonuses or similar benefits are paid in full and requires that this financial protection be provided not later than ninety days after the death of a soldier or the departure from the military due to disability for all active duty and reserve component members finally the act status has firm guidelines to ensure that the military will act with fairness and equity when handling the question of such bonuses for all of the service members mr speaker i commend the gentleman from pennsylvania mr all meyer for his diligent and timely work on this sensitive issue and for his commitment to bring this important legislation to the floor of the house i strongly support h r thirty seven ninety three the veteran's guaranteed bonus act of two thousand and seven and urge to media adoption i reserve the applying a rule that in listees who leave the service early cannot receive the full in less bonus the commission was confident that this rule was not intended to apply it to servicemen and women whose combat related injuries forced them to leave the military at that point the commission received assurances from departments that defense that this problem would be addressed today the congress will ensure that the problem is addressed by passing h thirty seven ninety three the veterans guarantee bonus act of two thousand and seven as americans we should never break up promises to our veterans especially in time of war to promise a significant amount of money to a young american and then demand is returned or refused continued distribution when the man or woman is injured in combat and subsequently discharged is on acceptable in early october join stearns and murphy to remedy this problem today two hundred seventy of our colleagues and thirty six veterans organizations have joined us to advance h r thirty seven ninety three the veterans guarantee of two thousand and seven this legislation guarantees that no service member who dies or is retired or separated for disability will be required to repay or forfeit their bonus we can not think of veterans anough for the sacrifices they have made for our country when our men and women come home from war the cost of an a list bonus is low compared to the sacrifices made by our soldiers and marines i am certain this house will pass  thirty seven ninety three they guaranty bonus act of two thousand and seven and at that time i will go back my time debating today h r thirty seven ninety three the veterans guaranteed bonus act which i introduced this legislation will ensure that from this point forward every combat wounded veteran injured in afghanistan or iraq receives their full enlist mitt or reenlistment bonus no longer will american servicemen and women who have served our country so bravely and honorably and been injured in service to our country no longer will they be served with a bill to repay their en bonus and no longer will those heroic men and women suffer the indignity of having their pro rated bonus payments cut off if those payments are to be made in his stallman's instead my bill which we are debating today says that the full amounts do under the agreements and contracts that apply to a service combat this ability be paid within ninety days of the separation of the service member this legislation also applies to the family members and estates of service men and women who are killed in combat this issue first came to my attention over the summer while reviewing the dole shalala commission report an independent panel put into place in the spring to investigate the disgraceful situation at wal army medical center the commission uncovered instances of our wounded warriors being denied their bonuses after being injured in combat and after studying this issue in more detail and learning of other documented instances of this injustice on october tenth i introduced the veterans guaranteed bonus act which is now before us in the weeks after i introduced the bill we continue to there are multiple reports of cases around the country where servicemen and women had been denied bonuses including the high profile case involving private jordon fox from my home area of western pennsylvania it has become clear that these were not just isolated examples but instead some of the hundreds and perhaps thousands of examples of veterans being asked to return their bonuses or be denied the remaining portion of their bonuses after being injured in service to our country and while some have made an issue of the expense of paying back these bonuses let me be clear there is no group that should stand ahead of our nation's veterans when it comes time to making federal funding decisions some may argue that because these servicemen and women were injured that they were unable to fulfill their contract to obligations and therefore should be denied the remainder of their bonuses i want to be equally clear on this point members of our armed forces have made every conceivable sacrifice for our country and those that have been injured in service to our country have more than fulfill the obligations of their service contract paying them the bonuses that they have fought for and that they have earned is the very least we can do to repay them for their bravery and their sacrifice finally i want to make clear that this is a bipartisan bill with more than two hundred seventy co sponsors i want to thank my colleagues on the other side of the aisle dozens of which of co sponsored this bill and some of whom will speak in favor of it today i especially want to thank my colleagues mr stearns from florida and mr jones from north carolina the lead republican sponsors of this bill they joined me in support of this bill before it became a high profile issue and i thank them for their leadership i also want to single out two of my democratic colleagues my lead democratic co sponsor congressman patrick murphy from my home state of pennsylvania an iraq war veteran himself and congressman bart stupak of michigan who has fought as hard as any member of this house for the right of veterans to keep their unless meant bonus most importantly i want to thank chairman ike skelton for his willingness to help bring this bill to the floor chairman skelton's amendment has made this a better bill and i thank him for his support and his continued leadership as chairman of the armed services committee mr speaker i ask my colleagues to join me in voting for the veteran's guaranteed bonus act before us today i'm sure that all my colleagues in the house would agree that we in congress must support our troops with our actions and not just our words this bill will ensure that every military veteran gets the bonuses that they deserve to bring this holiday season when our thoughts and prayers are with the brave servicemen and women serving overseas and their families here at home i can think of no greater tribute we can provide and i yield back my time gemini and back the gentleman from south carolina mr speaker i yield so much time is a may consume to the gentleman from georgia dr brown i thank the gentleman for yielding and the speaker arises strong support today for h r thirty seven ninety three the veterans guaranteed bonus act of two thousand and seven as a former military officer and  enlisted marine not take this matter very seriously and i'm a very strong supporter of our troops and their families as members of congress we have an obligation both to stand up for our troops that have been disabled and have to leave the military as well as bonus because of a combat related injury or death this bill the veteran's guaranteed bonus act of two thousand and seven will guarantee that no service member who dies other than as a result of a member's misconduct or is retarded  separated for disability route will be required to repay any portion of a bonus or similar benefit that they have received mr speaker the federal government's broken too many promises of veterans and i consider that on criminality we have an opportunity today to support our veterans and to support our troops and to fulfill a promise that was made to these veterans are huge all of my colleagues of the house to support this measure and pass h r thirty seven ninety three the veterans guarantee bonus act of two thousand and seven guaranteed bonus act of two thousand and seven currently when a service member is severely wounded in combat and cannot return to duty the department of defense allows each military branch to determine in their discretion whether to pay a service member any portion of a bonus still due to them as a result some members of the armed forces who have their or who have served their nation bravely sustaining severe injuries are not receiving their full bonus in the last month i've written to the president on three occasions urging him to immediately terminate this disgraceful policy in response i received conflict in information from department defense regarding this policy and deputy undersecretary william carr wrote me on december my saf has been told that instead of paying the full bonus to the army proliferates the soldiers bonus based on the number of months the soldier served before their medical discharge it is still unclear as to what the policy is at the army that is why we need to an active veterans guaranteed bonus act we need to establish a uniform department of defense policy to ensure all standing bonuses are promptly paid to our deserving heroes bonuses should be paid in full without question us first alerted to this problem by an iraqi war veteran in my district there gagne from wilson michigan derrick an army national guardsman had been denied the remainder of his bonus after suffering a severe eye injury losing part of his foot and his leg in a humvee in iraq only after numerous calls and questions from my office is derek now receiving his bonus our veterans should not need to fight so hard for something they're entitled to i'm pleased to join my colleague from pennsylvania mr  in co sponsoring the veterans guaranteed bonus act this bipartisan bill supported by over two hundred members of congress would require department defense to establish a uniform policy which revived which provides veterans who are discharged from the military d to combat related injuries or service connected injuries their full payment of any bosis with of ninety days of this charge this legislation should not be necessary as commander in chief the president has the ability to correct to correct this policy by requiring all military branches to provide severely wounded members with their full bonuses this administration is quick to go to war but slow to respond to the needs of our veterans our nation must be committed to caring for and honoring our veterans not just with words radio myself such time as am i consume so much back and i thank you mr speaker i rise today in support of h r thirty seven ninety three as amended a bill to ensure that military personnel who die or who are retired or separated for medical reasons are paid their full enlistment or reenlistment bonuses and are not subject to repayment of any portion of those bonuses last month media stories sparked outrage among members of congress and citizens alike when they highlight what appeared to be a potentially widespread practice by the army and department of defense media reports stated that wounded service members who could no longer continue on active duty because of those wounds were being required to repay portions of their enlistment or reenlistment bonuses because they had not fulfilled the terms of their contracts in some cases the army was cited as demanding repayment of thousands of dollars from soldiers who but for their wounds or injuries in combat would have continued to serve the army in this nation honorably what the media failed to report completely was that the department of defense and the military services had an active policy in place that address this problem the policy did the following first in cases where a service member died not at the result of his or her own misconduct the unpaid portions of an enlistment or reenlistment bonus would be paid to the service member survivors and there would be no requirement to repay already pay bonuses second when they service member was unable to complete an enlistment or reenlistment due to circumstances recently beyond the service member's control no already paid bonus would be recouped finally the secretaries that the military services had broad discretion on a case by case basis to forgo recoupment in payout unpaid portions of bonuses h r thirty seven ninety three as amended codified the most effective parts of the existing d o d policy and goes beyond that policy when indicted h r thirty seven ninety three will guarantee that a service member who dies or is retired or separated f medical disability will not be required to repay any portion of a bonus or some of benefit that they had received it mandates that the full contracted amount of any unpaid bonus or similar benefit be paid as appropriate to the estates of service members who die or just service members who are tired or separated due to a distant not later than ninety days after the debt retirement or additionally if a service secretary determines that require holding payment of the unpaid bonus would be contrary to a person each minute management objective against equity because in trade to the best interest of the united states then they would be allowed to waive repayment or to continue payment of unpaid bonuses discretion should be allowed for the most beneficial interpretation in favor of our courageous service members h r thirty seven ninety three is a good bill and i urge all my colleagues to join me in supporting it now servicemen and women deserve our most humble thanks in this bill would ensure that we are enough honoring their sacrifices by not denying them or their families their due pay in conclusion god bless our troops and will not forget september eleventh i reserve the balance of my their families i'd also like to recognize my colleague from pennsylvania representative all of my of her champing this important legislation mr speaker a little over a month ago we celebrated veterans day and we're reminded of the men and women who have served our nation and continue to wear our country's uniform these brave men and women have volunteered for service with the assurances of health care and benefits for them and their families but despite entering into this solemn pledge far too often our government has unfairly short short changed our veterans with our readiness levels considered to be reaching all time lows our military has been attracting recruits via monetary incentives the department of defense has been offering signing bonuses to soldiers in order to entice candidates for  longer in lisbon periods but in too many cases our wounded warriors are having their payments cut short or in some instances instances entirely taken away soldiers who sustain a combat related injury and cannot  of their enlistment period are being forced to return part part of or all of their bonuses that is flat wrong this is a shameful practice that is unjustifiable and in no way reflects how our nation's heroes are to be treated r thirty seven ninety three the veterans guaranteed bonus act remedies this unfair practice by requiring the d o d uphold their part of the deal and fully pay all bonuses to veterans medically discharged due to combat related wounds injuries sustained on the battlefield which prevent a soldier from completing their enlistment period should not be treated like some kind of breach of contract it is reprehensible to ask our wounded warriors to pay back any bonuses afforded them seven ninety three the veteran's guaranteed bonus act as a lieutenant commander still serving in the u s navy reserve i know full well the hardships and dangers our troops face our country has made a promise to these brave men and women this promise simply states that  us and defend our freedom we will provide you with the benefits you have earned unfortunately that's not happening right now these brave men and women and their families deserve their bonuses especially if they were killed or wounded in action the veteran guaranteed bonus act assures our soldiers will get the money they deserve an earned and it does so in a timely matter i applaud congressman altmire leadership on this issue and i urge all members of congress who care about our troops and the techies recognize for one minute mr speaker we have spent much of this year uncovering and correcting shortfalls in this country's treatment of our uniformed heroes reversing negligence is one thing but today we address the reprehensible and willful act of ducting ducking a soldier's pay for being injured well answering the call of duty this literally is our government adding insult to injury these men and women left their homes and families they paid with their time bodies and health for the security of our fellow citizens without them we are defenseless thanks to them we are the most powerful nation in the world to save the injured that's not enough and asked them to pay once more is shameful at best they volunteered to become part time and full time professional soldiers out of love of this country and it high time our leaders started to show some gratitude we owe them the best medical care respect and honor forthrightness at the very least we owe them the pay me they were promised i urge my colleagues to restore honor to our injured heroes and in so doing layfield back as well the question is will the house suspend the rules and pass h r thirty seven ninety three as amended those in favor say aye oppose now in the opinion the chair for what purposes gentleman from new york rise this is speaker i move that the house spend the rules and pass the bill h two eighty six clerk will report the title of the bill insert extraneous material there on without objection mr speaker i yield myself as much time as i may consume gentleman's recognized mrs speaker i rise today in support of a warning  congressional gold medal was a speaker since the founding of our country this congress has awarded more than three hundred people and organizations the congressional gold medal we  this honor on those who have performed outstanding deeds and acts of service past recipients include the dalai lama for his contributions to peace nonviolence human rights and religious understanding  gore the foremost spokesman of the victims of the holocaust the reverend francis x quinn pastor of the church of the guardian angel in new york city who wished his own life in persuading an armed gunman to surrender to police and free an elderly dedicating her life to the cause of freedom and democracy by fighting to establish peace in our home country of burma unsung suchi was born in burma in one thousand nine hundred five and two years after her birth her father negotiated burma's independence from the united kingdom and was then assassinated by his arrivals that very same year like father like daughter mrs she has spent most of her life working to better her native country for more than twenty years masood she has led the effort to end military rule in her country in one thousand nine hundred eighty eight she helped form the national league for democracy also known as the n l the which advocates nonviolence she currently the end all these general secretary in one thousand nine hundred spite being under house arrest she led her political party to a landslide victory in parliamentary elections gaining eighty two percent of the seats in been in and out of house arrest but this has only solidified her determination to secure democracy for the people of burma and when offered the chance to leave the country and live in exile she said no choosing instead to stand with a fellow citizen burma in august her struggles and the struggles of the burmese people what frost on to the international stage when pictures of monks protesting the military junta was shown all over the world the spite the junta's violent crackdown on dissidents protesters have remained committed to peaceful protests inspired by their rightful leader aung sun suu kyi who met with foreign leaders and her from a home to work for a peaceful way forward after the bloody nationwide crackdown their efforts prompted a new course of democracy within the global community the united nations secretary was outspoken in calling on the hunt up to allow for democracy defeat to take place in burma burma and first lady laura bush continues to make public statements in support of the democratic movement in burma diseases like hiv and aids and refugees pouring into neighboring countries the people of burma and southeast asia deserve to live in a stable and thriving region that is why the united states must continue to support efforts to establish peace and democratic rule in burma and it is why when is it is and it is my hope that by honoring unc sue suchi with the congressional gold medal we will continue to pressure the hunt to release her and bring freedom and democracy to the people  she's worked on behalf of the burmese people has already been recognized by many on the international stage she has won over sixty international awards including the sakharov prize for freedom of thought from the european union the presidential matter of medal of freedom in the united states and in the bell peace prize she is also the world's only imprisoned nobel peace prize recipient spending more than twelve of the last seventeen years  house arrest along some suit she and the people of burma are leading a courageous nonviolent struggle for human rights a democracy values we share as americans how passionate nonviolent approach and commitment to a free democratic burma has won the hearts and minds of the people of burma and i dare say the rest of the free world today i believe we should show har and the rest of the world that she has also in the hearts and minds of the members of the u congress a number of my colleagues deserve special thanks to help me bring this message to the floor today including my good friend from illinois mr menzel of for working with me to make this a bipartisan measure also majority to st obi and greg shy which from my staff for their help i thank you mr speaker and with that i reserve the balance of my time gentleman from illinois mr speaker i rise today to urge my colleagues to support this very important effort to award the congressional gold medal to aung san suu kyi she is one of the most honorable advocates for democracy and human rights the world will ever know masood she is the world's only nobel peace prize winner to remain a political prisoner ironically the daughter of burma's revolutionary hero is herself a captive in the very country that her father freed from colonial rule i want to take this opportunity to thank my colleague and good friend from new york mr crowley for being a leader on such an important matter is drive and commitment to war the congressional gold medal years she has spent inside that country in fact she was placed under house arrest in one thousand nine hundred nine after she formed the national league for democracy and even after that party won the decisive election hundred ninety with this suit she elected as prime minister the hunt continues to not recognize the election results and the fact that the people have spoken except for brief occasions missed suci has remained a prisoner she even was not allowed to attend her husband's funeral and remain separated from her children in september of this year there were means people held the largest peaceful protests that country has seen in the past twenty years the protest of the poor economic decisions of the hanta as well as the continued denial of democratic and human rights of the burmese people estimated one hundred thousand people marched through rangoon peacefully demanding the release of aung sang suu kyi the world watched and hoped that this time the saffron revolution would lead to meaningful change but rather than listening to its people the regime of time shape turned its guns against the people as it did in one thousand nine hundred eighty eight the u n special envoy for human rights reported recently that at least thirty one people were killed in september and over a thousand people remain incarcerated last week we gathered here in this house to best pass a bill sponsored by two champions of freedom my good friends lantos chairman and mrs russell it's that in ranking member of the house foreign affairs committee the block burmese jade act of two thousand and seven can be an important tool to add even more pressure to the regime to change its ways particularly if our government encourages more countries to adopt a similar economic sanctions i note that the european union is following a similar approach in response to the killings even bur immediate neighbors of a should strong statements condemning the massacre which you speak of the american people are outraged and disgusted by this a very use of force on the protesters and the continued detention  kyi shortly after the protest the subcommittee on asia pacific and global environment which i serve as ranking republican member with congressman any follow him of a gm held a hearing as chairman held a hearing on the situation in burma we heard dramatic testimony from experts with of the administration and from non governmental organizations all the witnesses agreed that burma's fall from a prosperous country was a direct consequence of the dictatorship so that's why we're here today to state for the record that it's time the military hunta recognize the will the burmese people and of most countries of the world and open the door for true reconciliation awarding the suu kyi the congressional gold medal with merican send a strong message that totalitarianism in burma needs to come to an end i urge  members to support h r forty two eighty six so that we can voice our full support for burma's first daughter and for all the people of burma this will remind the military hunta of the american people's on wavering support for aung sun for his sponsorship of this important legislation i also want to commend my good friend the ranking member of our if as you pacific subcommittee on the gentleman from illinois mr manzullo for having this sense of bipartisanship of this this against the forces of military rule of the people of burma for over ten years now miss out sang suu kyi has been placed under house arrest by the military regime of burma there is a lot of complications here the situation where burma burma continues to exist under very difficult conditions whereby seven to eight ethnic factions that are constantly competing for the control of that country fact it was even so bad even the british could not control munder their colonial rule and as such the military organization now claims that it continues that to claim that it is the only group or organization that  keeping the country together and without the military burma would be in a state of civil war while mr speaker i want to say to that is the very heart and problem that we are faced with burma today the fact that there are about seven a diff different  ethnic groups within the country that were never could never be controlled by one group and i want to say that as a recipient of the of the nobel peace price  make every effort to work with the military regime and see the possibility of the moxie ever to return to burma it is my sincere hope that in the coming weeks and months that may sound sense that she and her military counterparts well work out a compromise solution hopefully to establish a democratic form of government for the people of burma and with them as speaker i want to again commend my good friend the gentleman from new york for his authorship of this bill and most appropriately to honor this great leader misdoubt sang suu kyi the congressional gold medal i urge my colleagues to support this legislation and with that i yield back the balance of my time gentleman the us backed gentleman from illinois man legislation in a bipartisan spirit to the floor today i want to thank my friend again any fellow vega for his comments and words as well there's no question that the situation in burma is complex one only needs to read today's washington post to understand again the complexity of this in terms of the ethnic diversity within burma but also in reading that article today one can also understand that there's incredible turmoil within that country where there are more children child soldiers than any other country in the world today where every day daily young boys are coerced in slave like conditions into becoming soldiers as young boys and children there are over two thousand political prisoners that we know of today in burma in that same article today a alluded to the destruction of villages within burma let me just point out that over thirty two hundred ethnic minority villages have been destroyed by the military junta forcing one point five million people to flee their homes some to flee the country in a country where rape is used as a weapon by the military regime against the ethnic lama the same or the gold medal she is known as in burma and now throughout the world as the nelson mandela of burma she is known as the gandhi of burma i think it's appropriate let me also close by saying just one of the point about unsung suit scene and the sacrifices that she's had to make giving up of her own personal freedom her opportune to live in great britain or to live elsewhere maybe in india or elsewhere she's turned that down to be with her own people who are suffering to the point where she is not permitted to see her family members because of her involvement in human rights activity and in  nine when her husband was dying the military regime refused to allow him to live with her during that time and she had to spend those terrible days in isolation from the person she loved more than anyone time ago some sixteen years ago she received that award so i believe that the work that the administration is doing the work that the first lady again i want to congratulate first lady laura bush for h continued effort in bringing light intention on this particular issue i think it's having an effect on the world i think more the world is interested in what's happening in burma and paying attention to it i also would take this opportunity to ask our friends in india to play more of an active role in bringing about a solution a constructive solution to the issues of burma and again to china a country that i believe is continue to turn its face away from atrocities and no longer should china turn a face away from what is happening in burma china india bangladesh all the countries in the region need to be concerned about what's happening in burma today  my time gentleman yield back the question is will the house suspend the rules and pass a journey of forty to eighty six those in favor say aye those opposed no in the opinion of the chair two thirds being in the affirmative the bill the rules  what purpose is the judge does the gentleman from north carolina arise mr speaker move that the house suspend the rules and pass the bill s two four eight four clerk will report the title of the bill senate twenty four eighty four an actor rename the national institute of child health and human development as the eunice kennedy shriver national institute of child health and human development pursuant to the rule the gentleman from north carolina mr butterfield and the gentleman from nebraska mr terry each will control twenty minutes the chair recognizes the gentleman from north carolina i ask unanimous consent that all members may have five legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on the bill now under consideration without objection mr speaker you know myself such time as i make and so gentlemens recognized mr speaker i come to the floor today to express my strong support for s two four eight for a bill to rename the national institute of child health and human development as a eunice kennedy shriver national institute of child health and human development i am proud to lend my support to a bill aimed at honoring such a compassionate and wonderful human being often we miss out on the opportunity to honor people while they are with us today i hope my colleagues on both sides of the hour will join with me in seizing the moment and commemorating eunice kennedy tireless advocate for children while eunice kennedy candidates rather is perhaps best known for her efforts on behalf of those affected by mental retardation and for the creation of the special olympics institute just over forty five years ago during the administration of her brother john fitzgerald kennedy in the nearly half a century since its founding the institute has helped make great strides in the advancement of child health and human development including dramatically reducing setten enfin death syndrome and infant mortality one of the goals of the institute is to ensure that children have the opportunity to reach their full potential and live healthy and productive lives her commitment and dedication to helping children meet these goals meet these goals has been unwavering therefore mr speaker it is important that we before it is too late that we honor this great american eunice kennedy shriver today by renaming the national institute of child health and development after her i support this good bill and i urge all of my colleagues to do the same i reserve the balance of my time gentleman from nebraska mr speaker i yield myself as much time as i may consume gentleman's recognized today i rise in support of senate twenty four eighty four an act rename the national institute of child health and human development as the uni's kennedy shriver national institute of child health and human development and shriver along with their husband sergeant was and is a champion for young people who suffer and strive under the extra load of developmental disabilities prior to the creation of the nic h d more than forty years ago many scientists were of the mind that money would be better off spent studying adult diseases effectively short changing the younger populations with these conditions and i c h d was established in one thousand nine hundred sixty two under the kennedy administration and many credit were never stopped being a spokesperson an advocate and the institute she helped found has never stopped benefiting from her determination and her spirit i would like to confer with my colleagues on the other side of the aisle to determine if it is their understanding as well that nothing in this bill will change any of the authorities that the and i h reform act of two thousand and six provided the a nd i h and the director of the and i h specifically nothing in this act will change any authorities of the scientific management review board or any other provisions provided in section four hundred one of that i age and to have no other effect no other effect on the and i age or it's organization we do not intend to change or even signal any other change at the end i h well i thank the gentleman from north carolina my friend for that one other question to yield to do you have any other speakers do we know mr terry we do not at this time i think my friend from north carolina in that case i yield back our time gentleman yields that gentleman from north no in the opinion of the chair two thirds being in the affirmative the rules are suspended the bill is passed and without objection the motion to reconsider is laid on the table for what purpose does the gentleman from new york rise speaker move to suspend the rules and agree to s j whereas on three clerk will report the title of the bill senate joint resolution thirty joint resolution granting the consent of congress to the international emergency management assistance memorandum of understanding pursuant to the rule of the gentleman from new york mr crowley and the gentleman from texas mr poe each will control twenty minutes jan recognizes the gentleman from new myself as much time as i may consume mr speaker in january one thousand nine hundred eighty a devastating ice storm struck the northern new england border region that much to the region's infrastructure was considerable and millions spent days in dark on both sides of the border between the u s and canada when the lights came back on there were over thirty dead this tragedy resulted in an effort in cross border cooperation that has yielded the mutual assistance compact we have  before us today the international emergency management assistance memorandum of understanding provides a legal framework for cooperation between states of connecticut maine massachusetts new hampshire rhode island and vermont with the canadian provinces a quick back ok back new brunswick prince edward island nova scotia and new found and labrador compact allows for management of any emergency or disaster arising from natural disaster technological hazard man made disaster or civil emergency it seeks to regular ally's plan and program formulation assist in warning communities adjacent to or crossing jurisdiction boundaries ensure critical delivery of services as well as medicines water food energy and fuel and to clarify search and rescue protocols and issues related to evacuation the senate has already passed their version of the resolution and pass it passes today in the house as required by the constitution will permit this compact to come into effect it is worth noting as well that several years ago the senate passed a similar resolution but the house failed to act and the moment faded we must not let this happen again this is the kind of international cooperation that makes us safer and stronger let me think congressman peter welch of amman particularly for his strong leadership on this important compact and for diligence in trying to ensure greater cooperation with canada on emergency issues this resolution deserves our support and i urge all of my colleagues to join me in doing so and with that i reserve the balance of my time gentleman from texas mr speaker i yield myself such time as i may consume gentleman's recognized thank you mr speaker i'm pleased to join my colleagues today in support of senate joint resolution thirteen the states of maine new hampshire vermont massachusetts rhode island and connecticut have negotiated international emergency management assistance memorandum of understanding with the canadian provinces of callback new brunswick prince edward island nova scotia and newfoundland this him oh you creates a framework for cooperation among the participating jurisdictions when they face natural disasters are other a margin sees that they have in common article one section ten of our constitution requires that any agreement between states and foreign powers obtain the consent of congress that is what this legislation will grant all of us know too well the significant resources needed to overcome a disaster whether natural or manmade i applaud the initiative taken by the states and their canadian neighbors to proactively plan for the resource management and mutual assistance that may become necessary and unexpected times of crisis as confirmed by the congressional budget office this resolution will not result in any cost to the federal government or impose any calls on state or local governments support this measure and urge adoption there and i reserve the balance of my time with new york speaker i am delighted to yield at which time is he me consume to the gentleman from vermont the sponsor of this legislation my good friend peter wel gentleman's recognized i thank the gentleman from new york there's a reason mr speaker that all of the senators from the new england states all of the members of congress from the new england states to join in support of this resolution that th r legislatures and their governors all support this as well as the legislatures in the premier's in the provinces of qubec that have been mentioned and that is because we need each other in a moment of whether disaster and as my friend mr crowley referred to there was a severe ice storm in one thousand nine hundred eight and this response that he had in those new england states with the help of the provinces was helpful to alleviate some of the suffering but not all and this is fundamentally important in order that we be able to co operate to the mutual benefit of folks in the new england region and in the canadian provinces i want to express my gratitude to the foreign affairs committee my gratitude my friend from texas i'm sorry that texas isn't part of this and we really be in good shape and i want to thank mr crowley the members of the leadership staff and the staff of the foreign relations committee for moving us forward on such an expedited basis the more we can cooperate to help each other the better all of us are going to be and it's my friend from texas would say that's just the way it is  that gentleman from texas on command my friend peter welch from vermont for his comments and mainly for sponsoring this cross border an issue to showing that the new england states and some provinces in canada can get away get along together for cooperation of mutual concern and not to i'm sorry that texas is not a part of this initiative as well with that i yield back the balance of my time gentleman yield back tenement from new york  residents of quebec and the struggling colorless who were striving for the freedom from great britain we've come a long way in two hundred thirty two years it's about time we get a protocol in place that ensures that life is saved during times of  in favor say aye those oppose no independent of the chair two thirds being in the affirmative the rules are suspended the joint resolution is passed and without objection the motion to reconsider is laid upon the table for what purpose does the gentleman from new york rise mr speaker move the house suspend the rules and pass h read a for three does the gentleman called the resolution as a will report the title of the resolution house resolution eight forty three resolution mourning the passing of congressman henry j hyde and celebrating his leadership service to the people of illinois and the united states of america pursuant to the rule the gentleman from new york mr crowley in the gentleman from california mr langridge each will control twenty minutes the chair recognizes the gentleman from new york mr speaker i ask unanimous consent that all members have five legislative days to revise and extend their remarks on the ary committee as well as as chairman of the international relations committee mr hyde's life was a good long life and a complex life as well  hyde graduated from high school learned a scholarship to play basketball georgetown university participated in one thousand nine hundred two and see double a championship smalltown is a basketball fan a college best will fan i think that may be the height of his his he certainly contributed mightily in tremendously to the advancement of the congress as well as our country i had the great opportunity to serve with henry hyde as a member of the international ations committee  somewhat junior member than a mid bench member i always enjoyed the banter with the chairman quick witted and incredibly intelligent steeped in history understood every bill those both in committee on the floor and as a person i also had the opportunity to travel with them as to hide on a trip to a country that is near and dear to both himself and myself the country of ancestry ireland i know that he was proud of the work of the advancement of peace and justice in ireland all of our lives and worked mightily towards that end but mr hyde had numerous accomplishments and i'll leave that to my colleagues on the other side the aisle to advance today but i would urge the adoption of this resolution as amended and i would return the balance of my time gentleman from california this is big i rise in support of ribs eight forty three mourning the passage of congressman henry hyde and celebrating his leadership and service to the people of illinois and the united states of america and at this time i would like to  recognize for five minutes the gentleman from illinois mr ruskin who is the prime sponsor of this legislation and the successor to henry hyde in that seat from the great state of illinois gentleman from illinois recognized thank you mr speaker and i thank the gentleman for yielding and a special word of thanks mr speaker to the jordie leader who worked hard to get this resolution on the floor and to him i'm deeply grateful you know there's been a lot said about henry hyde over the past several weeks particularly since his passing in the weeks prior to that when he received the medal of freedom from president bush in a white house ceremony that he was unable to attend due to his illness and we've often focused in those comments on his conduct here in the house of representatives mr speaker but i would like to give a little bit of a glimpse of what he was like back at home you see because the same shadow that was cast here in the capitol was similarly cast in the sixth district of illinois which is the west in northwest suburbs of chicago there he was henry hyde who would be routinely introduced at various gatherings and in partisan gatherings he would oftentimes get a standing ovation from a very grateful group of republicans but all across the aisle both sides of the aisle people were able to approach him and they would often think of him really as an alderman for that area or almost a city councilman and by that i don't mean anything to negate his status but simply his excess ability as a member of congress which was something really to behold you could routine find him in his district he would fly back and forth every weekend to o'hare airport which was right in the middle of his sixth district of illinois and i think that he was one of those people that when you think about you when you think about congressman you think about the very best and the very brightest and i would submit that when from one thousand nine hundred seventy four all the way up through his retirement when people contemplated henry hyde he was contemplated in a way that was a positive reflection on this institution when people thought of him they thought you know what that's the way a congressman is supposed to be that's the way a congressman is supposed to handle himself that's the way a congressman is supposed to interact with people on his own side of the aisle and even more importantly with people on the other side of the aisle his legacy is one and his name will inextricably be linked with the pro life movement he was a passionate advocate as we all know for the unborn he did his duty in the pietschmann of president clinton but those things while their formative and their very interesting and their they are who he was sort of the lead gets buried if you stop the henry hyde story there because he was someone who is also very active in a partner in trying to reach out to come up with the funds and the support to take on hiv aids globally and it was far ahead of his time he was one who broke from is ranks and voted in favor of the family and medical leave act much the sugar in at the time of many in his party who subsequently have come to see the light of that courage of his convictions and so mr speaker in closing this is a time of reflection and a time of honoring the legacy of a great man and i think the words of paul johnson a great british store and come to mind when he wrote a history of the american people and the british historian johnson said to paraphrase he said this all kinds of factors go into how history comes out just all kinds of things but without question the single most important factor are the people who were in charge at the time and i think all of us today rise and acknowledge that henry j hyde and the oath that he took and the way in which he carried himself in office was a great credit not only to this institution but a great credit to our country and with that mr speaker i yield back the balance of my time that i live in new york mr speaker i'm pleased to yield to once again to my good friend from the did not want to miss this opportunity to stand here on the floor and to express my feelings of this great american as i'm sure there may have been a special or already taken but members could speak and and giving their sense of tribute to congressman henry hyde i thank the gentleman from illinois for sponsorship of this bill and i want to thank the members of the illinois delegation to their sponsorship of this legislation to honor my good friend and your colleague delay congressman henry j hyde whom i've had the distinct privilege of serving with him when he served as chairman of the house committee on international relations misspeak or chairman hyde and i did not always agree on the issues and bills that were brought before our committee but one thing that i value tremendously concerning the character of this great leader and that is he respected the opinions of others even though they may differ from his chairman hyde was a great leader a man of principle and a true patriot and a statesman and above all mr speaker he was my friend i am reminded mr speaker the proverb states there are many acquaintances but very few friends congressman henry hyde was my friend have a good journey henry i you back the bounds of my time  twelve years with henry hyde ten years during the first period of time i served and then the first two years of my return to the congress for ten of those years well twelve of those years i served in the judiciary committee with him and he was in my mind a great man we all have our heroes i suppose in life my dad's a hero of mine ronald reagan was a hero of mine mother theresa's a hero of mine and in this house henry hyde was and continues to be a hero of mine recently we have had a lot of debate and discussion in the national press about the appropriate place for religion and religious values in public debate the speech given by the former governor of massachusetts governor romney has been called the speech reminding people of the speech given by another gentleman from massachusetts some forty years ago president john f kennedy and in their own way they were both outstanding speeches but one of the speeches i recall on the same subject was given by henry hyde it was a speech he gave at my alma mater the university of notre dame in the same year that governor cuomo gave a speech to the university attempting to address the question of what the proper role was of religious values in public life now is particularized in the fact that both governor cuomo and henry hyde were roman catholic but what they said there and what henry said there is not limited merely to a catholic and public service but goes to the question of what someone who has deeply held religious values should do when confronted with the great ideas of immortalized in the great play man for all seasons when he attempted to try and deal with the tremendous disconnect at times between what in the secular world appears to be an obvious conflict between deeply held values and your responsibility as an elected or appointed figure similarly in a closer period of time in our history a work that influenced the speech  john kennedy was a great writing by john courtney murray called we hold these truths john courtney murray a tremendous jesuit priest and political theorist was the greatest in fluence in the catholic church during the second vatican council in understanding what political liberty was all about have used both of those writings in trying to understand what my obligation in life is but ranking alongside both of those works is this work by henri hyde called for every idle silence he took that from a statement by st ambrose who said not only for every idle word but for every idle silence must man render an account henry hyde believe that in the speech at my alma mater henry hyde said in one thousand nine hundred four this must be an election year everyone is talking about the ology the reason i mention that is here we are twenty some years past that time and there are those that believe that this issue is arising for the first time and somehow we have some difficulty in understanding what it's all about so i would just like to reflect on a few words of henry hyde in that speech which perhaps would give us some direction as we approach that same issue this year he said first and hopefully most obviously we are not arguing about the creation of a theocracy or anything remotely approaching it we're not talking about acquiring ourselves a christian nation or a nation under any religion but he said we are as in our coinage and our pledge of allegiance asserts a nation under god that means a nation under god's judgment constantly reminded by our smallest coin that the true measure of our cell it's comes from beyond ourselves and again for the church as well as for da democracy let us preserve the integrity of both the political process and the church and he went on to say in the second place we're not arguing about whether religion and politics should mix this formula so simple is also deceptive and disorienting religion the expression of what theologians paul tillich called our ultimate concern and politics have mixed intermingled shaped and influenced each other centuries before the conversion of constantine and henry goes on to say and this has been true of our american experiment as well the claim that american religion has always been intensely private between the individual and god would surely have come as news to john winthrop and the pilgrims to jonathan edwards to the abolitionists to lincoln to fifteen generations of the black church and not least to american catholics taught by the magisterial john courtney murray architect of vatican councils declaration on religious liberty throughout our history religious values have always been a part of the public policy debate religious values particularly  judeo christian traditions insistence on the inherent dignity and inviolable worth of each individual human life lie at the root of what murray calls the american proposition yes henry says other influences shaped the founders of our republic enlightenment modes of political philosophy play their important role too but to borrow a phrase momentarily from the marxists it is no accident that memes benjamin franklin one of the deist founders proposed as a device on the great seal of the united states a picture of moses lifting up his staff and dividing the red sea while the pharaoh was overwhelmed in its waters with the motto rebellion to tyrants is a beatings to god jefferson often can sort of the most implacable foe of mixing religion and politics countered with the suggestion that the great seal to pick the children of israel in the wilderness led by a cloud by day and pillar of fire by night henry hyde understood that we are influenced and informed by are most deeply held beliefs and that it is not un american to believe bring those to the debate he also suggested that what we also understood was that we should not as stablish any particular religion or demand the american people bow to any particular religion henry hyde gave us tremendous guide and for those in the debate involved today i would suggest they might want to look at henry's book for every idle silence including that speech at notre dame which he entitled with his usual good sense and humor keeping god in the closet some flaws it thoughts on the exorcism or religious values from public life henry hyde was remarkable man he had a great wit about him you could argue on the floor with him as strongly as possible and he would come over across the aisle punch in the arm and tell you a joke he took what he did seriously but he never took himself too seriously he was an inspiration to me and many others around the world i remember one time i asked henry i said you ever get tired being involved in the debate on the right to life and he said to me you know i do but as i get older and think of my mortality i think about the possibility of entering the gates of heaven and i think of the faces of those children whose lives i've saved standing there saying to me welcome henry welcome ultimately i think henry's life can be summed up in the last words that he gave to the students and faculty at the university of notre dame in one thousand nine hundred four he said this to those students and so i ask you do you change the world or does the world change you there was a just man many centuries ago who tried to save saddam from destruction ignoring his warning mocking him with silence the inhabitants shield in themselves with indifference but still he persisted and taking pity on him a child asked him why why do you go on the just man replied that in the beginning he thought he could change man today he said i know i cannot if i still shout and scream it's to prevent them from changing me as henry said to those students that day i hope you go out and change the world mr speaker henry hyde was the just man henry hyde did work henry hyde changed the world i am thankful for his leadership i'm thankful for him being a colleague i'm thankful to be able to call him friend and i rise in strong support of h raz eight forty three and with that mr speaker i would yield back the balance of my time gentleman  from new york mr speaker i have no other speakers on our side and will will close and i would just say that it's a note to me that this is highly unusual for us to have a house was aleutian honoring a former member of a may be issues can conduct ourselves in a way which would make chairman hyde proud the last time i saw chairman chairman hyde was in the office or was sitting next to the porch of lafayette here in the house of representatives in a wheelchair 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 well they have rule one the chair declares the house in recess until approximately five forty five p m today