senators daniel inouye and sparks massa nothinga introduced resolutions asking the president to declare the first 10 days of may as asian pacific heritage week. the selection of the month of may stems from the fact that may marks the arrival of the first japanese immigrants in the u.s. in 1843. . president carter made asian pacific heritage week an annual event and in 1990 president george h.w. bush proclaimed the entire month of may to be asian pacific american heritage month. madam speaker, they've made great strides in the area of civil rights and public policy. led by such notable americans as patsy mink, the phishes asian american congresswoman. not to mention the current members of the president's cabinets, which includes three asian americans and an energy

secretary steven chu, gary locke, and veterans' affairs secretary eric shinseki. in closing, let us take a moment to recognize the contributions of the asian and pacific american community and celebrate such a rich cultural heritage by supporting house resolution 435. i continue to reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves e balance of his time. the chair recognizes the gentleman from utah. mr. chaffetz: madam speaker, i yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. chaffetz: madam speaker, i rise today in support of this important resolution recognizing asian pacific american heritage month. asian pacific american islanders play an important fabric of the life since the first japanese americans arrived on may 7, 1845. asian americans worked as coal miners and laborers. it's estimated that 14 million americans, if not more, can trace their ethnic heritage to

asia or the pacific islands. establishing may as asian pacific american heritage month affords them the opportunity to teach the history of asian americans and pacific islanders during the school year. observing asian american and pacific islanders contributions highlights their importance of building our america. for example, chinese immigrants played a significant role in construction of the first transcontinental railroad which was completed on may 10, 1869. asian americans and pacific islanders have contributed to this country through the arts, commerce and every other aspect of american culture since they first arrived in the 19th century. whether it is in the arse or government or science or -- arts or government or the science they have played a fundamental role in our nation's technological and economic expansion. as well as the every other fabric of life we can think of. their accomplishments are too numerous to count.

their influence is felt throughout our country. the month of may once again gives us the opportunity to thank and honor asian americans and pacific islanders and recognize them for their many contributions. now, in the past and certainly in the future. thank you, madam speaker. i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves the balance of his time. the chair recognizes the gentleman from massachusetts. mr. lynch: madam speaker, we have no further speakers at this time. however, we continue to reserve the balance of our time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves the balance of his time. the chair recognizes the gentleman from utah. mr. chaffetz: madam speaker, seeing no other speakers, i'd yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. the chair recognizes the gentleman from massachusetts. mr. lynch: thank you, madam speaker. we yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the question is will the house suspend the rules and agree to house resolution 435 as

amended. those in favor say aye. those opposed, no. in the opinion of the chair, 2/3 having responded in the affirmative, the rules are suspended, the resolution is agreed to and without objection a motion to reconsider is laid on the table. without objection, the title is amended. for what purpose does the gentleman from massachusetts rise? mr. lynch: madam speaker, i move that the house suspend the rules and agree to house resolution 420. the speaker pro tempore: the clerk will report the title of the resolution. the clerk: house resolution 420, resolution celebrating the symbol of the united states flag and supporting the goals and ideals of flag day. the speaker pro tempore: pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from massachusetts, mr. lynch, and the gentleman from utah, mr. chaffetz, each will control 20 minutes. the chair recognizes the gentleman from massachusetts. mr. lynch: thank you, madam speaker. i ask unanimous consent that all members may have five legislative days to revise and extend their remarks. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. mr. lynch: thank you, madam speaker. i yield myself such time as i may consume.

the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. lynch: madam speaker, house resolution 420 celebrates our nation's most enduring symbol, the american flag. with this resolution, this chamber expresses its support for the annual recognition of flag day. the gentleman from ohio, representative robert latta, introduced house resolution 420 on may 17, 2009, and the committee on oversight and government reform reported it out on june 4, 2009, by unanimous consent with 64 co-sponsors. it is a clear demonstration of congress' appreciation and respect for our national -- our nation's flag. we celebrated flag day on june 14, the anversary of the continental congress' passage of the first flag act. since then americans have looked to the flag for the symbol of the country and the dearest values. the flag represents us and all of our fellow citizens. and i'm also heartened to see the parades and events each year in commemoration of flag day. especially in one of my favorite town, the town of

detta, massachusetts, which has a wonderful parade each year on flag day. and the town of dentom, it's hard to find a home without the american flag hanging out the front on the front door. the flag honors the countless men and women who have died during defense of the united states in the armed forces. in short the american flag is a lasting symbol of their sacrifice. as public servants, we rightly pledge our allegiance to the flag each day as well as millions whom we represent. while each day the flag stands as our shared values, hopes, aspirations and ideals, i am glead we set aside each june to celebrate the flag and all that it represents. with that, madam speaker, i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves the balance of his time. the chair recognizes the

gentleman from utah. mr. chaffetz: thank you, madam speaker. i yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. mr. chaffetz: i rise today in support of this legislation, supporting the goals and ideals of flag day. the american flag has been our national symbol for 232 years. and it remains a symbol of freedom wherever it is flown. in 1777 when the second continental congress adopted the stars and stripes and its beautiful red, white and blue design, our flag has stood for liberty and justice. flag day was first celebrated throughout the country in 1885 as one early supporter, bernard cigrand of wisconsin -- a wisconsin school teacher, wanted june 14 to be known as flag birthday. the idea quickly caught on and many wanted to participate. in 1894 the governor of new york asked that all public buildings fly the flag on june 14 to begin observing flag day. and in 1916, president woodrow wilson proclaimed flag day as a national celebration. however, the holiday was not

officially recognized until 1949 when president harry truman signed the national flag day bill. since the beginning of our republic, americans have flown the flag to show their appreciation and pride for this great nation. every day americans pledge their allegiance to the flag and the troops carry their flag as they defend the liberties which they stand and which represent this country, the united states of america. our flag day we remember -- on flag day we remember the importance of our oldest national symbols and reflect the loss of loved ones who have died in defense of this great nation. let us pledge allegiance to this flag to declare patriotism and raise its colors high to express our pride and respect for our way of life. i urge my colleagues to support this resolution and, madam speaker, i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves the balance of his time. the chair recognizes the gentleman from massachusetts. mr. lynch: madam speaker, we have no further speakers at this time.

i tennessee to reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves the balance of his time. the chair recognizes the gentleman from utah. mr. chaffetz: thank you, madam speaker. i yield as much time as he may consume to my distinguished congressman from the state of ohio, mr. latta. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. latta: thank you very much, madam speaker. i appreciate the gentleman for yielding. i am pleased to stand before you today in support of the resolution i introduced, house resolution 420. this resolution celebrates the symbol of the united states and supports the goals and ideals of flag day. flag day is celebrated on june 14 which is the anniversary of the official adoption of the american flag by the continental congress in 1777. this was done by the first flag act which stated, resolved, that the flag of the united states be made of 13 stripes alternating red and white, that the union be 13 stars, white and a blue field representing a new constellation. since 1777 our flag has rearranged the design of the stars and stripes each time as a state was added.

as the gentleman from utah stated, the history of flag day traces its roots to the first celebration of the american flag which is believed to have been introduced by bernard cigrand, a wisconsin school teacher, who arranged for his students at stony hill school to have june 14 represent flag birthday. president woodrow wilson proclaimed the first flag day in 1916. and in 1947 president harry truman signed legislation requesting national flag day be observed annually. flag day san important day of celebration as our flag is the official symbol of our great nation and its ideals. our flag serves as a beacon of hope, courage and freedom during times of crisis and triumph of light. the flag honors the men and women of the armed forces who have paid the ultimate sacrifice in defending the united states and serves as a symbol for those families who have lost loved ones while defending our nation. madam speaker, it is with great honor that i ask for unanimous consent on house resolution 420 as we celebrate our nation's

flag. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. the chair recognizes the gentleman from massachusetts. mr. lynch: madam speaker, we continue to reserve. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves the balance of his time. the chair recognizes the gentleman from utah. mr. chaffetz: madam speaker, i have no other speakers at the moment. i'd yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. the chair recognizes the gentleman from massachusetts. mr. lynch: thank you, madam speaker. i again urge our colleagues to join mr. latta, the lead sponsor of this resolution in affirming our allegiance to the flag and support for the annual celebration of flag day by supporting this measure, and i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the question is will the house suspend the rules and agree to house resolution 420. those in favor say aye. those opposed, no. in the opinion of the chair, 2/3 having responded in the affirmative, the rules are suspended, the resolution is agreed to and without objection a motion to reconsider is laid

on the table. mr. lynch: madam speaker, i object to the vote on the grounds that a quorum is not present and i make a point of order that a quorum is not present. the speaker pro tempore: pursuant to clause 8 of rule 20 and the chair's prior announcement, further proceedings on this motion will be postponed. for what purpose does the gentleman from massachusetts rise? mr. lynch: madam speaker, i move that the house suspend the rules and pass the bill h.r. 885 as amended. the speaker pro tempore: the clerk will report the title of the bill. the clerk: union calendar number 57, h.r. 885, a bill to elevate the inspector general of certain federal entities to an inspector general appointed pursuant to section 3 of the inspector general act of 1978. the speaker pro tempore: pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from massachusetts, mr. lynch, and the gentleman from utah, mr. chaffetz, each will control 20 minutes. the chair recognizes the gentleman from massachusetts. mr. lynch: thank you, madam speaker. madam speaker, i ask that all all members may have five

legislative days to revise and extend their remarks. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. mr. lynch: and i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. lynch: thank you, madam speaker. i rise in support of h.r. 885, the improved financial and commodity markets oversight and accountability act. this bill introduced by representative john lorson of connecticut, would enhance the inspector's general as a key financial regulatory agencies. right now we have an inconsistent system where some financial agencies like the fdic have an inspector general appointed by the president and confirmed by the president while other large and important agencies like the s.e.c. have an inspector general who is appointed by and reports to the head of the agency they're supposed to be investigating. this bill would create a more consistent and independent structure by elevating the inspectors' general at five financial regulatory agencies

to be presidentially appointed and senate confirmed. this will enhance their independence from the agencies they are overseeing. this committee has worked on inspector general reform for the past several years now, and one of our key findings is that the inspectors' general have to be independent from the agency they are supervising if they are going to be effective. the situation at some agencies where the head of the agency hires and fires the inspector general and sets the office budget for that inspector general does not give these i.g.'s, inspector generals, the independence they need. making the inspector general a presidential appointee confirmed by the senate not only gives them independence from their agency management but also gives them more stature to come directly to congress with any problems that they encounter. congresswoman diane watson, the chairwoman of the oversight and government reform subcommittee on government management held a hearing on this bill where it

had the support of the g.a.o. at the hearing, the agency inspectors general made some suggestions on improving the bill which has been incorporated in an amendment adopted at the committee markup. the amendment specifically clarifies that the npor general and the inspector general staff retain their existing pay and personnel structure. it also clarifies and strengthens the subpoena authority of these inspectors' general and it requires that the heads of the agencies to report to congress on actions they have taken in response to inspector general recommendations. inspector generals have the unique responsibility of reporting both to the president and to congress. congress has to make sure that the inspectors general have the legal authority and tools they need to continue their roles as nonpartisan, professional brokers, and this bill, i believe, does that. i urge all members to support

h.r. 885, and i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves the balance of his time. the chair recognizes the gentleman from utah. mr. chaffetz: i yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. chaffetz: oversight and accountability are vitally important an the inspectors general are in the front line of this effort. this bill will enhance the effectiveness of and effectiveness of the i.g.'s at several institutions. currently the i.g.'s at the securities and exchange commission, the pension benefit guarantee corporation and the board of governors of the federal reserve system are appointed and can be removed by the head of the institution. this bill will make these i.g.'s presidentially appointed and senate coon firmed, are reducing unnecessary influence

by the institutions. i want to thank my colleagues for working with us on this bill. we now make sure that this will not cause a reduction in pay and they remain on par with the senior officials at the institution. more importantly, we provide i.g.'s with subpoena authority. finally the bill require thinks regulatory agencies to take action on the efficiencies identified by the i.g.'s. these agencies cannot ignore the findings. given the enormous role these institutions play in our financial sector, it's important they have the tools and independence tone sure these operations operate above reproach. i urge my colleagues to support this measure and reserve the balance of my time.

the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves the balance of his time the chair recognizes the gentleman from massachusetts. mr. lynch: i want to thank the gentleman from utah for his hard work on this bill and his commitment, his ongoing commitment, and it's been that case on much of the legislation that comes before our committee, for his bipartisanship and willingtons work very hard on these issues. i consider it an honor to work with him. i'd like to just for the record submit two letters, one from the honorable collin peterson and the other one from the honorable adoll fuss towns, chairman of the oversight committee and mr. peterson is chairman of the house committee on agriculture with respect to their concerns regarding this bill. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, general leave is granted. mr. lynch: thank you, madam speaker. now i would like to yield for such time as he may consume to the lead sponsor of this

measure, a very diligent member of congress and part of our leadership team, mr. larson of connecticut. the speaker pro tempore: the chair recognizes the gentleman from connecticut. mr. larson: thank you, madam speaker. thank you, mr. lynch, chairman, you've done an outstanding job, along with the gentleman from utah, mr. chaffetz in outlining what this bill does. before i begin, i'd like to thank, because this has been such a nonpartisan effort in so many respects and a commitment on first and foremost on the part of the oversight committee to take a bill whose genesis evolved out of the last session and make it a better bill and perfect it. to those ends, along with mr. lynch and mr. chaffetz, i would especially like to thank chairman ed towns.

mr. towns has down such a great job in marshaling this bill forward, along with diane watson, and i'd further like to thank on their staff mike mccarthy, adam boards of the oversight committee, austin burns in the majority leader's staff, barney frank, mel watt, and dennis moore for their ongoing efforts to reform the regulation of our markets and financial sectors and for their input into this legislation. my good friend todd platts who also assisted in this, and frank lobiondo who was a co-spon or sor of this bill almost two years ago. i especially want to single out for their efforts two reform-minded freshmen who have come to congress in john boccieri of ohio and glenn nye of virginia and especially to

amy o'donnell of my staff and jackie sheltree. we refer to this bill in the short form just, frankly, as providing an independent inspector general for the financial services committee that are in such desperate need of this oversight. i thank the -- i think the chairman outlined it well. the genesis of this bill took place from conducting a public forum back in my district and listening to former republican mayor of south windsor, connecticut, john mitchell, and our attorney general of the state of connecticut, richard blumen thall. the idea, when -- richard blumenthal. the idea, when we were looking at commodities and the market, we realized the more and closer we looked at who was regulating these agencies, it was somewhat

a case of the foxes guarding the hen house. many have asked, and when they went home over the break and since the financial collapse on wall street, people have been astounded in trying to answer the question of how could it be that bernie may dauf was scamming thousands -- may doff was scamming -- ma doff was scamming thousands -- madoff was scamming thousands into giving up their money. where were the agencies, where were they when speculators were wreaking havoc on the oil markets? i can think of no sector where honesty, independence, and transparency are needed more right now than in our financial and commodity markets. yet the regulatory -- regulators of these markets have been athroud work with no oversight of what they are doing and whether they are fulfilling their mission to protect the american consumer.

that's because the inspector general, as the chairman outlined, who should be working on behalf of average americans, were working for the heads of the agencies they should be overseeing. as i said earlier, this is a classic case of the fox watching the hen house. it's having a profound impact on the work of our regulatory agencies. we have done our review and this is something that we pointed out at the committee. the review found that offices of the inspector general, that independent offices, where they are appointed by the president and approved by the senate, completed over 117 investigations in 2008. while their nonindependent

counterparts completed just 12. that's 117 versus 12. the inspect jor -- inspector general of the commodity futures and trading general showed that despite the economic crisis, his office completed just two investigations in up-- and updated one from october of last year through march. simply stated, an independent watchdog ensures better performance from government agencies. i commend the committee. what they've zone provide greater accountability and transparency. i commend senator dodd who will be taking this bill up on the senate side as well. again, i think -- i thank

everybody on the committee, especially ed towns for his hard work and dedication to make sure the bill got to the floor. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. the chair recognizes the gentleman from utah. mr. chaffetz: i want to also echo my compliments to chairman towns, ranking member issa who has a keen interest in this area for his work. the chair of the subcommittee, mr. lynch who is truly a gentleman and a great person owork with. i also want to put comments in for the good men and women that are working at all these types of functions. i was excited to participate in the oversight and government committee because of the tremendous workload they have. there's a great expectation from the american people that we deal with their money fairly and honestly, that we make sure that every dollar is accounted for and we've seen too many

mishaps where dollars have been overspent or misused. certainly as we look at what is going to be surely the single largest tax increase in the history of the united states with the so-called cap and trade, as the democrats move this bill forward, if it were to pass, literally hundreds of billions of dollars taken out of the pockets of americans across the country that will be spent on who knows what. we've got to make sure that every single one of those dollars is accounted for this body passed, even though i voted no against it, this body passed a trillion-dollar stimulus package. again, pulling a trillion dollars out of the economy, pulling a trillion dollars out of americans' pockets, handing it out to somebody else, bailouts and the rest of it. we need to make sure the independent auditing, the people involved in oversight and government reform that every agency across the nation, throughout our country, are doing their job and making sure

that every dollar is accounted for. with that, i'll reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves. the chair recognizes the gentleman from massachusetts. mr. lynch: we have no further speakers at this time, i continue to reserve. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves the balance of his time. the chair recognizes the gentleman from utah. mr. chaffetz: having no other speakers, i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. the chair recognizes the gentleman from massachusetts. mr. lynch: in close, we would like to reiterate our strong support for h.r. 885 and its lead sponsor and champion mr. larson. we appreciate the great work being done by ed towns, the full committee chair and mr. issa as ranking member and the gentleman from utah because this will increase the ability of inspectors general at regulatory agencies at a time when we need the internal watchdogs to be more effective than ever.

we do appreciate the work being done by our inspectors general and their staff, investigators and researchers. they work very hard for us. they do work that is not often appreciated, i think, on behalf of the american people this will, i think, allow them a greater level of independence to do the job that needs to be done. i urge my colleagues to join mr. larson and all of us in supporting the passage of this measure and i yield back the balance of our time. the speaker pro tempore: the zpwrelt yields the balance of his time. the question is, will the house suspend the rules and pass h.r. 885 as amended? those in favor say aye. those opposed, no. in the opinion of the chair, 2/3 being in the affirmative, the rules are suspended and the bill is passed. without objection, the motion to reconsider is laid on the table. mr. lynch: mammings. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from massachusetts is recognized. mr. lynch: madam speaker, we continue to yield. the speaker pro tempore: the

gentleman yields. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from california rise? >> madam speaker, it's so nice to see you there as speaker, i move to suspend the rules and pass the bill h.r. 466 as