H6194 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — HOUSE September 20, 2012 

Unfortunately, H.R. 6429 lets unused visas 

go to waste, and forces legal immigrants to 

continue to suffer in long backlogs. 

In addition, I have serious concerns that this 

legislation automatically allows for-profit and 

on-line schools to participate in the new STEM 

green card program. 

It’s not too late for my Republican colleagues to change course, and sit down with 

Democrats to work on a bipartisan bill that 

strengthens the STEM visa program without 

limiting legal immigration. 

I urge my colleagues to stand in solidarity 

and vote ‘‘no’’ on this attempt to reduce legal 

immigration. 

Ms. HIRONO. Mr. Speaker, I rise in opposition to H.R. 6429, the misnamed STEM Jobs 

Act of 2012. 

The ability our nation to attract the world’s 

best and brightest has contributed greatly to 

the creation of American jobs and the success 

of American businesses large and small. However, many foreign students who graduate 

from our best universities in the science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) 

fields become victims of a broken visa system. 

The absence of specific visas for graduates in 

these critical fields has resulted in long wait 

times and forces many to move back home, 

taking their valuable skills out of the American 

economy. Clearly, the time has come for 

change. 

Unfortunately, H.R. 6429 isn’t the change 

we need. It follows the pattern of the Republicans’ approach of giving with one hand while 

taking with the other. This bill would create 

STEM visas at the expense of eliminating the 

Diversity Visa Program. Diversity visas provide 

a legal path for people from countries with low 

rates of immigration to the United States. Half 

the recipients are from Africa and almost a 

third are from Asia. 

Democrats and Republicans agree that we 

should establish a STEM visa program, but 

unfortunately Republicans inserted a poison 

pill in this bill that guarantees it will not pass. 

It is also clear that the Senate will not take up 

the bill with this provision included. 

We in Hawaii know that diversity is a 

strength. Hawaii has been enriched by the diverse immigrants who call it home, hailing 

from places like the Philippines, Japan, 

Samoa, Portugal, and around the Pacific Rim. 

While I believe we should be looking for ways 

to encourage the best and brightest to come 

to our shores and create American jobs, we 

don’t need to do it at the expense of the Diversity Visa Program. 

As an immigrant, I know the promise America offers and the hopes of those who come 

to our shores seeking a better life. That’s why 

I support efforts to improve our immigration 

system and encourage those with needed 

skills to come and work for our businesses. 

Furthermore, a strong economic foundation 

depends on a world class American education 

system that prepares the young people of our 

country to compete in the STEM fields. I am 

convinced we can find a way to come together 

to create a fair STEM Visa Program and to 

strengthen our STEM education so more 

Americans can get these jobs. 

H.R. 6429 is a flawed bill, and I urge my 

colleagues to oppose it. 

The SPEAKER pro tempore. The 

question is on the motion offered by 

the gentleman from Texas (Mr. SMITH) 

that the House suspend the rules and 

pass the bill, H.R. 6429. 

The question was taken. 

The SPEAKER pro tempore. In the 

opinion of the Chair, two-thirds being 

in the affirmative, the ayes have it. 

Mr. CONYERS. Mr. Speaker, on that 

I demand the yeas and nays. 

The yeas and nays were ordered. 

The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to clause 8 of rule XX, further proceedings on this question will be postponed. 

f 

ANNOUNCEMENT BY THE SPEAKER 

PRO TEMPORE 

The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to clause 8 of rule XX, proceedings 

will resume on questions previously 

postponed. 

Votes will be taken in the following 

order: passage of House Joint Resolution 118; the motion to suspend the 

rules and pass H.R. 6429; and the motion to suspend the rules and pass H.R. 

5987. 

The first electronic vote will be conducted as a 15-minute vote. Remaining 

electronic votes will be conducted as 5- 

minute votes. 

f 

DISAPPROVING RULE RELATING 

TO WAIVER AND EXPENDITURE 

AUTHORITY WITH RESPECT TO 

THE TEMPORARY ASSISTANCE 

FOR NEEDY FAMILIES PROGRAM 

The SPEAKER pro tempore. The unfinished business is the vote on passage 

of the joint resolution (H.J. Res. 118) 

providing for congressional disapproval 

under chapter 8 of title 5, United 

States Code, of the rule submitted by 

the Office of Family Assistance of the 

Administration for Children and Families of the Department of Health and 

Human Services relating to waiver and 

expenditure authority under section 

1115 of the Social Security Act (42 

U.S.C. 1315) with respect to the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families 

program, on which the yeas and nays 

were ordered. 

The Clerk read the title of the joint 

resolution. 

The SPEAKER pro tempore. The 

question is on the passage of the joint 

resolution. 

The vote was taken by electronic device, and there were—yeas 250, nays 

164, not voting 15, as follows: 

[Roll No. 589] 

YEAS—250 

Adams 

Aderholt 

Alexander 

Amash 

Amodei 

Austria 

Bachmann 

Bachus 

Barber 

Barletta 

Barrow 

Bartlett 

Barton (TX) 

Bass (NH) 

Benishek 

Berg 

Biggert 

Bilbray 

Bilirakis 

Bishop (UT) 

Black 

Blackburn 

Bonner 

Bono Mack 

Boren 

Boswell 

Boustany 

Brady (TX) 

Brooks 

Broun (GA) 

Buchanan 

Bucshon 

Buerkle 

Burgess 

Burton (IN) 

Calvert 

Camp 

Campbell 

Canseco 

Cantor 

Capito 

Carter 

Cassidy 

Chabot 

Chaffetz 

Chandler 

Coble 

Coffman (CO) 

Cole 

Conaway 

Cravaack 

Crawford 

Crenshaw 

Culberson 

Denham 

Dent 

DesJarlais 

Diaz-Balart 

Dold 

Donnelly (IN) 

Dreier 

Duffy 

Duncan (SC) 

Duncan (TN) 

Ellmers 

Emerson 

Farenthold 

Fincher 

Fitzpatrick 

Flake 

Fleischmann 

Fleming 

Flores 

Forbes 

Fortenberry 

Foxx 

Franks (AZ) 

Frelinghuysen 

Garamendi 

Gardner 

Garrett 

Gerlach 

Gibbs 

Gibson 

Gingrey (GA) 

Gohmert 

Goodlatte 

Gosar 

Gowdy 

Graves (GA) 

Graves (MO) 

Griffin (AR) 

Griffith (VA) 

Grimm 

Guinta 

Guthrie 

Hall 

Hanna 

Harper 

Harris 

Hartzler 

Hastings (WA) 

Hayworth 

Heck 

Hensarling 

Herger 

Herrera Beutler 

Hochul 

Huelskamp 

Huizenga (MI) 

Hultgren 

Hunter 

Hurt 

Issa 

Johnson (IL) 

Johnson (OH) 

Johnson, Sam 

Jones 

Jordan 

Kelly 

King (IA) 

King (NY) 

Kingston 

Kinzinger (IL) 

Kissell 

Kline 

Labrador 

Lamborn 

Lance 

Landry 

Lankford 

Latham 

LaTourette 

Latta 

Lewis (CA) 

Lipinski 

LoBiondo 

Loebsack 

Long 

Lucas 

Luetkemeyer 

Lummis 

Lungren, Daniel 

E. 

Lynch 

Manzullo 

Marchant 

Marino 

Matheson 

McCarthy (CA) 

McCaul 

McClintock 

McHenry 

McIntyre 

McKeon 

McKinley 

McMorris 

Rodgers 

McNerney 

Meehan 

Mica 

Michaud 

Miller (FL) 

Miller (MI) 

Miller, Gary 

Mulvaney 

Murphy (PA) 

Myrick 

Neugebauer 

Noem 

Nugent 

Nunes 

Nunnelee 

Olson 

Owens 

Palazzo 

Paul 

Paulsen 

Pearce 

Pence 

Peterson 

Petri 

Pitts 

Poe (TX) 

Pompeo 

Posey 

Price (GA) 

Quayle 

Reed 

Rehberg 

Reichert 

Renacci 

Ribble 

Rigell 

Rivera 

Roby 

Roe (TN) 

Rogers (AL) 

Rogers (KY) 

Rogers (MI) 

Rohrabacher 

Rokita 

Rooney 

Ros-Lehtinen 

Roskam 

Ross (FL) 

Royce 

Runyan 

Ryan (WI) 

Scalise 

Schilling 

Schock 

Schweikert 

Scott (SC) 

Scott, Austin 

Sensenbrenner 

Sessions 

Shimkus 

Shuler 

Shuster 

Simpson 

Smith (NE) 

Smith (NJ) 

Smith (TX) 

Southerland 

Stearns 

Stivers 

Stutzman 

Terry 

Thompson (PA) 

Thornberry 

Tiberi 

Tipton 

Turner (NY) 

Turner (OH) 

Upton 

Walberg 

Walden 

Walsh (IL) 

Webster 

West 

Westmoreland 

Whitfield 

Wilson (SC) 

Wittman 

Wolf 

Womack 

Woodall 

Yoder 

Young (AK) 

Young (FL) 

Young (IN) 

NAYS—164 

Ackerman 

Altmire 

Andrews 

Baca 

Baldwin 

Bass (CA) 

Becerra 

Berkley 

Berman 

Bishop (GA) 

Bishop (NY) 

Blumenauer 

Bonamici 

Brady (PA) 

Braley (IA) 

Brown (FL) 

Butterfield 

Capps 

Capuano 

Carnahan 

Carney 

Carson (IN) 

Castor (FL) 

Chu 

Cicilline 

Clarke (MI) 

Clarke (NY) 

Clay 

Cleaver 

Clyburn 

Cohen 

Connolly (VA) 

Conyers 

Cooper 

Costa 

Costello 

Courtney 

Critz 

Crowley 

Cuellar 

Cummings 

Davis (CA) 

DeFazio 

DeGette 

DeLauro 

Deutch 

Dicks 

Dingell 

Doggett 

Doyle 

Edwards 

Ellison 

Engel 

Eshoo 

Farr 

Fattah 

Frank (MA) 

Fudge 

Gonzalez 

Green, Al 

Green, Gene 

Grijalva 

Gutierrez 

Hahn 

Hanabusa 

Hastings (FL) 

Heinrich 

Higgins 

Himes 

Hinchey 

Hinojosa 

Hirono 

Holden 

Holt 

Honda 

Hoyer 

Israel 

Jackson Lee 

(TX) 

Johnson (GA) 

Johnson, E. B. 

Kaptur 

Keating 

Kildee 

Kind 

Kucinich 

Langevin 

Larsen (WA) 

Larson (CT) 

Lee (CA) 

Levin 

Lewis (GA) 

Lofgren, Zoe 


tjames on DSK6SPTVN1PROD with HOUSE
September 20, 2012 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — HOUSE H6195 

Lowey 

Luja ́n 

Maloney 

Markey 

Matsui 

McCarthy (NY) 

McCollum 

McDermott 

McGovern 

Meeks 

Miller (NC) 

Miller, George 

Moore 

Moran 

Murphy (CT) 

Nadler 

Napolitano 

Neal 

Olver 

Pallone 

Pascrell 

Pastor (AZ) 

Pelosi 

Perlmutter 

Peters 

Pingree (ME) 

Polis 

Price (NC) 

Quigley 

Rahall 

Rangel 

Reyes 

Richardson 

Rothman (NJ) 

Roybal-Allard 

Ruppersberger 

Rush 

Ryan (OH) 

Sa ́nchez, Linda 

T. 

Sanchez, Loretta 

Sarbanes 

Schakowsky 

Schiff 

Schrader 

Schwartz 

Scott (VA) 

Scott, David 

Serrano 

Sewell 

Sherman 

Sires 

Slaughter 

Smith (WA) 

Stark 

Sutton 

Thompson (CA) 

Thompson (MS) 

Tierney 

Tonko 

Tsongas 

Van Hollen 

Vela ́ zquez 

Visclosky 

Walz (MN) 

Wasserman 

Schultz 

Waters 

Watt 

Waxman 

Welch 

Wilson (FL) 

Woolsey 

Yarmuth 

NOT VOTING—15 

Akin 

Davis (IL) 

Filner 

Gallegly 

Granger 

Jackson (IL) 

Jenkins 

Mack 

Platts 

Richmond 

Ross (AR) 

Schmidt 

Speier 

Sullivan 

Towns 

b 1656 

Messrs. COURTNEY and CRITZ 

changed their vote from ‘‘yea’’ to 

‘‘nay.’’ 

Mr. LYNCH changed his vote from 

‘‘nay’’ to ‘‘yea.’’ 

So the joint resolution was passed. 

The result of the vote was announced 

as above recorded. 

A motion to reconsider was laid on 

the table. 

Stated for: 

Mr. MACK. Mr. Speaker, on rollcall No. 589 

I was unavoidably detained. Had I been 

present, I would have voted ‘‘yea.’’ 

Mr. PLATTS. Mr. Speaker, on rollcall No. 

589 I was inadvertently delayed in an official 

meeting and arrived on the House floor after 

the vote had been closed. Had I been present, 

I would have voted ‘‘yea.’’ 

Stated against: 

Mr. FILNER. Mr. Speaker, I was away from 

the Capitol due to prior commitments to my 

constituents. Had I been present, I would have 

voted ‘‘nay.’’ 

f 

STEM JOBS ACT OF 2012 

The SPEAKER pro tempore. The unfinished business is the vote on the motion to suspend the rules and pass the 

bill (H.R. 6429) to amend the Immigration and Nationality Act to promote 

innovation, investment, and research 

in the United States, to eliminate the 

diversity immigrant program, and for 

other purposes, on which the yeas and 

nays were ordered. 

The Clerk read the title of the bill. 

The SPEAKER pro tempore. The 

question is on the motion offered by 

the gentleman from Texas (Mr. SMITH) 

that the House suspend the rules and 

pass the bill. 

This will be a 5-minute vote. 

The vote was taken by electronic device, and there were—yeas 257, nays 

158, not voting 14, as follows: 

[Roll No. 590] 

YEAS—257 

Adams 

Aderholt 

Alexander 

Altmire 

Amash 

Amodei 

Austria 

Bachmann 

Bachus 

Barber 

Barletta 

Barrow 

Bartlett 

Barton (TX) 

Bass (NH) 

Benishek 

Berg 

Berman 

Biggert 

Bilbray 

Bilirakis 

Bishop (UT) 

Black 

Blackburn 

Bonner 

Bono Mack 

Boren 

Boswell 

Boustany 

Brady (TX) 

Brooks 

Broun (GA) 

Buchanan 

Bucshon 

Buerkle 

Burgess 

Burton (IN) 

Calvert 

Camp 

Campbell 

Canseco 

Cantor 

Capito 

Carney 

Carter 

Cassidy 

Chabot 

Chaffetz 

Chandler 

Coble 

Coffman (CO) 

Cohen 

Cole 

Conaway 

Cooper 

Cravaack 

Crawford 

Crenshaw 

Cuellar 

Culberson 

DeFazio 

Dent 

DesJarlais 

Diaz-Balart 

Donnelly (IN) 

Dreier 

Duffy 

Duncan (SC) 

Duncan (TN) 

Ellmers 

Emerson 

Farenthold 

Fincher 

Fitzpatrick 

Flake 

Fleischmann 

Fleming 

Flores 

Forbes 

Fortenberry 

Foxx 

Franks (AZ) 

Frelinghuysen 

Garamendi 

Gardner 

Garrett 

Gerlach 

Gibbs 

Gibson 

Gingrey (GA) 

Gohmert 

Goodlatte 

Gosar 

Gowdy 

Graves (GA) 

Graves (MO) 

Griffin (AR) 

Griffith (VA) 

Grimm 

Guinta 

Guthrie 

Hall 

Hanna 

Harper 

Harris 

Hartzler 

Hayworth 

Heck 

Hensarling 

Herger 

Herrera Beutler 

Himes 

Hochul 

Huelskamp 

Huizenga (MI) 

Hunter 

Hurt 

Issa 

Johnson (IL) 

Johnson (OH) 

Johnson, Sam 

Jordan 

Kelly 

Kind 

King (IA) 

King (NY) 

Kingston 

Kinzinger (IL) 

Kissell 

Kline 

Labrador 

Lamborn 

Lance 

Landry 

Lankford 

Latham 

LaTourette 

Latta 

Lewis (CA) 

Lipinski 

LoBiondo 

Long 

Lucas 

Luetkemeyer 

Lummis 

Lungren, Daniel 

E. 

Mack 

Manzullo 

Marchant 

Marino 

Matheson 

McCarthy (CA) 

McCaul 

McClintock 

McHenry 

McIntyre 

McKeon 

McKinley 

McMorris 

Rodgers 

McNerney 

Meehan 

Mica 

Michaud 

Miller (FL) 

Miller (MI) 

Miller, Gary 

Moran 

Mulvaney 

Murphy (CT) 

Murphy (PA) 

Myrick 

Neugebauer 

Noem 

Nugent 

Nunes 

Nunnelee 

Olson 

Palazzo 

Paul 

Paulsen 

Pearce 

Pence 

Peterson 

Petri 

Pitts 

Platts 

Poe (TX) 

Pompeo 

Posey 

Price (GA) 

Quayle 

Rahall 

Reed 

Rehberg 

Reichert 

Renacci 

Ribble 

Rigell 

Rivera 

Roby 

Roe (TN) 

Rogers (AL) 

Rogers (MI) 

Rohrabacher 

Rokita 

Rooney 

Ros-Lehtinen 

Roskam 

Ross (FL) 

Royce 

Runyan 

Ruppersberger 

Ryan (WI) 

Scalise 

Schilling 

Schmidt 

Schock 

Schweikert 

Scott (SC) 

Scott, Austin 

Sensenbrenner 

Sessions 

Shimkus 

Shuler 

Smith (NE) 

Smith (NJ) 

Smith (TX) 

Southerland 

Stearns 

Stivers 

Stutzman 

Sullivan 

Terry 

Thompson (PA) 

Thornberry 

Tiberi 

Tipton 

Tonko 

Turner (NY) 

Turner (OH) 

Upton 

Walberg 

Walden 

Walsh (IL) 

Webster 

West 

Westmoreland 

Whitfield 

Wilson (SC) 

Wittman 

Wolf 

Womack 

Woodall 

Yoder 

Young (AK) 

Young (FL) 

Young (IN) 

NAYS—158 

Ackerman 

Andrews 

Baca 

Baldwin 

Bass (CA) 

Becerra 

Berkley 

Bishop (GA) 

Bishop (NY) 

Blumenauer 

Bonamici 

Brady (PA) 

Braley (IA) 

Brown (FL) 

Butterfield 

Capps 

Capuano 

Carnahan 

Carson (IN) 

Castor (FL) 

Chu 

Cicilline 

Clarke (MI) 

Clarke (NY) 

Clay 

Cleaver 

Clyburn 

Connolly (VA) 

Conyers 

Costa 

Costello 

Courtney 

Critz 

Crowley 

Cummings 

Davis (CA) 

DeGette 

DeLauro 

Denham 

Deutch 

Dicks 

Dingell 

Doggett 

Dold 

Doyle 

Edwards 

Ellison 

Engel 

Eshoo 

Farr 

Fattah 

Frank (MA) 

Fudge 

Gonzalez 

Green, Al 

Green, Gene 

Grijalva 

Gutierrez 

Hahn 

Hanabusa 

Hastings (FL) 

Hastings (WA) 

Heinrich 

Higgins 

Hinchey 

Hinojosa 

Hirono 

Holden 

Holt 

Honda 

Hoyer 

Israel 

Jackson Lee 

(TX) 

Johnson (GA) 

Johnson, E. B. 

Jones 

Kaptur 

Keating 

Kildee 

Kucinich 

Langevin 

Larsen (WA) 

Larson (CT) 

Lee (CA) 

Levin 

Lewis (GA) 

Loebsack 

Lofgren, Zoe 

Lowey 

Luja ́n 

Lynch 

Maloney 

Markey 

Matsui 

McCarthy (NY) 

McCollum 

McDermott 

McGovern 

Meeks 

Miller (NC) 

Miller, George 

Moore 

Nadler 

Napolitano 

Neal 

Olver 

Owens 

Pallone 

Pascrell 

Pastor (AZ) 

Pelosi 

Perlmutter 

Peters 

Pingree (ME) 

Polis 

Price (NC) 

Quigley 

Rangel 

Reyes 

Richardson 

Richmond 

Rogers (KY) 

Rothman (NJ) 

Roybal-Allard 

Rush 

Ryan (OH) 

Sa ́nchez, Linda 

T. 

Sanchez, Loretta 

Sarbanes 

Schakowsky 

Schiff 

Schrader 

Schwartz 

Scott (VA) 

Scott, David 

Serrano 

Sewell 

Sherman 

Sires 

Slaughter 

Smith (WA) 

Stark 

Sutton 

Thompson (CA) 

Thompson (MS) 

Tierney 

Tsongas 

Van Hollen 

Vela ́ zquez 

Visclosky 

Walz (MN) 

Wasserman 

Schultz 

Watt 

Waxman 

Welch 

Wilson (FL) 

Woolsey 

Yarmuth 

NOT VOTING—14 

Akin 

Davis (IL) 

Filner 

Gallegly 

Granger 

Hultgren 

Jackson (IL) 

Jenkins 

Ross (AR) 

Shuster 

Simpson 

Speier 

Towns 

Waters 

b 1703 

So (two-thirds not being in the affirmative) the motion was rejected. 

The result of the vote was announced 

as above recorded. 

Stated against: 

Mr. FILNER. Mr. Speaker, on rollcall 590, I 

was away from the Capitol due to prior commitments to my constituents. Had I been 

present, I would have voted ‘‘nay.’’ 

f 

MANHATTAN PROJECT NATIONAL 

HISTORICAL PARK ACT 

The SPEAKER pro tempore. The unfinished business is the vote on the motion to suspend the rules and pass the 

bill (H.R. 5987) to establish the Manhattan Project National Historical Park in 

Oak Ridge, Tennessee, Los Alamos, 

New Mexico, and Hanford, Washington, 

and for other purposes, as amended, on 

which the yeas and nays were ordered. 

The Clerk read the title of the bill. 

The SPEAKER pro tempore. The 

question is on the motion offered by 

the gentleman from Washington (Mr. 

HASTINGS) that the House suspend the 

rules and pass the bill, as amended. 

This is a 5-minute vote. 

The vote was taken by electronic device, and there were—yeas 237, nays 

180, not voting 12, as follows: 


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