decisions to washington a. government takeover of personal health insurance. as a physician, i know that government interference only harms patient access to health care. real positive reform will only be achieved by empowering patients not government and not bureaucrats. positive reform starts with giving ownership of health coverage back to the patient not the government. allowing individuals full control over their coverage will make insurers truly accountability to patients, leading to greater choice, innovation, and responsiveness. secondly we must provide the proper financial incentives so that there is no reason to be uninsured. with tax reform not government mandates we can achieve universal access to care for all americans. mr. speaker, republicans have a positive patient centered prescription for america that doesn't result in a government takeover. . the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman's time has expired. for what purpose does the gentlewoman from california

rise? >> to address the house and to revise and extend my remarks. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. ms. speier: mr. speaker, we lost a lion of the labor movement with the passing of ambassador jack henning. he spent the vast majority of his 93 years fighting for men and women in the fields, factories and loading docks of america. the only thing i loved more than telling labor story to anyone who would hear it would be telling them to those who didn't. jack was a driving force behind the california labor federation, but he served our country in many ways. he was the director of the california department of industrial relations under governor pat brown, undersecretary of labor for president kennedy and u.s. ambassador to new zealand under president johnson. mr. speaker, my thoughts are with jack's family and the millions of americans, most of whom never knew him, who earn a livable wage, work under safer

conditions and are able to take their child to the doctor because of the tireless passion of ambassador jack henning. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady yields back. for what purpose does the gentleman from florida rise? mr. stearns: i ask unanimous consent to revise and extend. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. mr. stearns: mr. speaker, as president obama begins to wait into the israeli-palestinian conflict, he must remember who our friends are. israel is the most reliable and only democratic ally in the middle east. yet in his speech last week in cairo and in statements by his administration, president obama seems only to want to pressure israel while not requiring similar concessions from the palestinian and other arab states. starting with the british partition plan in 1937 when they were offered the western part of palestine, then again the u.n. partition plan in 1947 to the camp david talks in 2000. and most recently in december, 2008, the palestinians have rejected every plan to divide

the land into independent states. each time their answer was no. no outside party, president obama included, can arbitrarily impose a peace agreement nor can peace be achieved by setting conditions on just one party. israel, which has been willing to take the necessary and difficult steps towards peace and consider compromise. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman's time has expired. for what purpose does the gentleman from new york rise? >> i ask unanimous consent to address the house for one minute and permission to revise and extend my remarks. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. mr. arcuri: mr. speaker, it is undeniable that we have seen many positive signs in our economy since january. the unemployment rate, while still far too high, is improving, and money is starting to flow through the economy and into our cities and municipalities to improve our infrastructure and ensure the safety of every american. the recovery bill has been at the core of this progress and has saved and created jobs and has made much-needed investment

in my local district. for example in my hometown of utt can, new york, the recovery bill gave them $2 billion for lead abatement. it would people to work and improve the health and quality of life for countless families. without the recovery bill funding the city of utica, they would have to delay the vital program because they would not have the money to proceed. i would continue to fight for the recovery bill funding for critical bills in my district. and i know we will see even more progress in all of our communities as we all continue to work together to lead america out of this economic crisis. thank you, and i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. for what purpose does the gentleman from minnesota rise? >> to address the house for one minute and to revise and extend my remarks. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. mr. ellison: mr. speaker, i rise today to talk about the

importance of building a clean energy economy for america. americans are fed up with tax breaks for oil companies that postrecord records while working families are stuck paying exorbitant prices at the pump. americans want a new energy economy, a green economy to take us into the new future, to take us into a carbon neutral economy, to take us into jobs, to take us into a future in which we are not dependent upon the automobile for every transportational decision. the time has come to transform our economy for decades to come. the time has come to create american jobs with new clean american-made energy. the clean energy jobs plan is the next step in creating millions of american jobs in clean energy efficiency, modernizing a smart electric grid. we can reduce our dependence on oil. we can do this. yes, we can. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentlewoman from texas rise? ms. jackson lee: to address the house for one minute. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. ms. jackson lee: thank you very much, mr. speaker.

i rise to call out the clairian call for fixing america's health care system. we urgently need to fix it and we realize that if you've got it, you like it, you can keep it. we need to get a system that will allow those who are underinsured and without insurance to be able to be cared for in this nation. we need to reduce the serious health disparities. we need to also ensure there is a public option, that there is universal access to health care. make it a good medicare plan that helps the young, the old and the working americans. in addition, we need to be fair to how we pay for it. we need to realize that physician-owned hospitals are not the enemy. in fact, they help to in essence bring down health disparities. many physician-owned hospitals or investor-owned hospitals are in the urban and rural areas with no other hospitals would go. let's fix this system in a fair manner that addresses the question in ensuring that the

those without insurance can have a good public option, can as well have a good system of good doctors, have good hospitals and make it work for working americans and others who are in need. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: pursuant to clause 8 of rule 20, the chair will postpone further proceedings today on motions to suspend the rules on which a recorded vote or the yeas and nays are ordered or on which the vote is object -- incurs objection under clause 6 of rule 20. record votes will be taken later. fumped the gentleman from new york rise? mr. nadler: mr. speaker, i move to suspend the rules and pass house resolution 505. the speaker pro tempore: the clerk will report the title of the resolution. the clerk: house resolution 505, resolution condemning the murder of dr. george tiller, who was shot to death at his church on may 31, 2009. the speaker pro tempore: pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from new york, mr.

nadler, and the gentleman from north carolina, mr. coble, will each control 20 minutes. the chair recognizes the gentleman from new york. mr. nadler: thank you, mr. speaker. i ask unanimous consent that all members may have five legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on the resolution under consideration. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. mr. nadler: thank you. and i yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. nadler: mr. speaker, i rise in support of house resolution 505 which condemns the murder of dr. george tiller who was shot to death at his church on may 31. the resolution also offers condolences of the house of representatives to dr. tiller's family. i know that dr. tiller and his family are in the thoughts and prayers of every member of the house today. i want to commend our colleague, the distinguished chairperson of the rules committee, my fellow new yorker, ms. slaughter, for introducing this resolution. it is imperative that the house of representatives speak with the united voice in condemning this crime.

it is a sad reminder that medical personnel are still at risk from armed extremists who are willing to resort to deadly violence in order to advance their causes. even when they quote their cause is in the language of life. there can never be room in the free society for the use of deadly violence to advance a cause. it is against everything this country stansdz for. i have no doubt there isn't a single member of this house who would disagree. this resolution renews our commitment to the quote, american principle, the tolerance must always be superior to intolerance and violence is never an appropriate response to differences in belief, unquote. as the -- deplorable this murder was, it was more reprehensible because this victim was targeted as he was leaving church. in the past 10 years, 38 people have been murdered in their place of worship and 30 more have been wounded. dr. tiller was a controversial figure. he had been the target of threats and even a prior shooting because of his dedication to providing needed if unpopular services.

he was murdered solely because of the work he did. the continued violence directed at abortion providers, including doctors and their staff is well-known. violence, harassment, all serve to help women and their health care providers say they must pay a price. this was not the first time a health care provider was similarly targeted. i am sure every member of this house and every decent american, however they may feel or whatever they may believe on the question of abortion will insist that this and every other question must be decided by our legal, constitutional and democratic processees and not murderous violence. i am sure we all condemn those people or groups who espouse or excuse domestic terrorism. but while violence has long been directed at clinics and people who work there, this time the killer chose an

addition to invade the sanctity of the sabbath. murderous intolerance is never justified. even so, the idea of bringing death and mayhem to a house of worship strikes all people as particularly reprehensible. these acts include the murder of an illinois pastor in the pulpit of march of this year, the murder of an ohio minister in november of last year, the murder of an usher and guest during a children's play in a tennessee church in july of last year, the murder of four family members in a church in louisiana in may of 2006, and the shooting of a worshiper outside his synagogue in florida in october, 2005, not to mention the attempted bombings of two synagoguing in riverdale, the bronx, just a few weeks ago. whether these acts of violence target one individual or an entire community of faith, we must all join together and speak out against them. i urge all my colleagues to stand up for those who would bring their terror into a house of worship and those who seek

to change american law by violence and unconstitutional means to express their -- by supporting this resolution condemning the murder of dr. george tiller and extending the condolences of this house to dr. tiller's family. i urge my colleagues to support this important resolution, and i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from north carolina rise? mr. coble: i rise in support of house resolution, mr. speaker. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. coble: mr. speaker, i support house resolution 505, which deplores the murder of dr. george tiller who was shot to death at his church, as already been mentioned, on may 31. i join with the national right to life committee, mr. speaker, the nation's largest pro-life group in condemning the killer of dr. tiller. as that organization correctly said, anyone who works to increase respect for human life must oppose any unlawful use of violence that is directly

contrary to that goal. because i believe everyone who is the victim of unlawful violence should be treated equally under the law, i voted against the so-called hate crimes bill when it was brought up on the house floor earlier this year. the resolution we are now debating and another we debate today recognize what should be obvious to all which is that anyone can be the victim of hate-inspired crimes and that the perpetrators of those crimes should be equally condemned and punished. i urge, mr. speaker, all my colleagues to join me in supporting this resolution, and i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves. the gentleman from new york. the gentleman from new york. mr. nadler: mr. speaker, i yield four minutes to the distinguished gentlewoman from new york, the chairperson of the rules committee. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady from new york is recognized for four minutes.

ms. slaughter: thank you, mr. speaker. and today i want to speak about the senseless killing of a good man, as he was volunteering as an usher in his place of worship. dr. george tiller was shot to death as most of us know at his church in wichita, kansas, on the 31st of may. a single gunshot fired by a man who apparently has a long history of animosity to the women's right to choose, ended the life of a man who has dedicated his life to helping others and was a stark reminder to all of us a raw emotion surrounding this issue. in the days since the arrest of the shooter we have now heard reports that even more violence may be planned against doctors who believe in choice. and while this kind of violence is deplorable, it seems to me that this act is particularly villainous because it took place in a house of worship. this place, where people look for peace, safety and protection was in an instant transformed into a place of shocking, senseless violence. our places of worship are meant to be peaceful refuges for

those who seek serenity in times of turmoil. the sanctity of these places is honored at all times and without regard to denomination. there should be no exception to this rule and provides for a structure with other faiths and beliefs. only the most evil can bring violence in these most sacred buildings. to devour them with bloodshed is nothing less than villeainous and we should not -- villainous and we should not tolerate it. our churches, synagogues, mosques and others have been the centers of communities, places of scholarships, places of love among humankind. there is more to a place of worship than its physical presence. there is the sense of community and accord and safety where worshipers can share their faith. but when we look at our recent history we have seen a disturbing rise in violence at churches that we have taken no note of in the house of

representatives. as mentioned, 68 persons have been shot, dead or wounded or assaulted in violence in religious institutions here in the united states. this is more than deplorable. deepening the tragedies there has no expression of outrage -- violence in the house of worship. it shakes the foundations in our communities, our principles and our nation. it's not an islamic issue or any one faith. it's a test as we as a society are willing to tolerate and reminder that some people in this nation do not respect the sanctity of a house of worship. . in march of 2009 reverend fred winters was killed while at the pulpit by gunfire at the first baptist church in illinois. only after the gun malfunctioned members of the congregation subdued the shooter to prevent further fatalities.

reverend donald fairbanks jr. was fatally shot at the ninth street baptist church in kentucky in november of 2008. people who attempt add funeral for a woman with relatives in his congregation and grief turned to fear as the gunman opened fire in the church. july, 2008, an usher and guest were shot and killed during the opened act of a children's play in knoxville, tennessee. the gunman walked into the sanctuary carrying a guitar case with a 12-gauge shotgun. he's said to have fired over 40 shots. killing two and injuring seven. in may, 2006, five family members killed by a gunman who opened fire during a church service in baton rouge, louisiana. the whole family was wiped out and the shooter's wife was abducted from the church and killed nearby. one of the most upsetting in recent memory started in 1999 when a lone gunman massacred

seven worshipers and wounded seven others at a youth celebration. 150 teenagers that were all taking place in the sanctuary of the wedgwood baptist church in fort worth, texas. 150 teenagers. the assault was one of the worst ever and i know there was a trem sense of loss after that lawful act. why doesn't america care about this? why have we said absolutely nothing about it? why are we allowing concealed weapons being carried in federal parks where i hope most people will not be able to go with any notion they might not come out alive. dr. tiller's family held a memorial service for him over the weekend after his burial on friday and he was remembered by all four of his children for his care and devotion as both physician and father. it's a senseless tragedy and so i offer this resolution and hope that all members of this house will say no more. i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman's time has expired. the gentleman from north

carolina. mr. coble: i continue to reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from north carolina reserves. the gentleman from new york. >> how much time do i have left? the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from new york has 12 additional minutes. mr. nadler: i now yield two minutes to the distinguished gentlelady from colorado, ms. degette. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady from colorado is recognized for two minutes. ms. degette: thank you, mr. speaker. mr. speaker, our society has too often recently devolved into violence to address controversy. the murder of a doctor who is beloved by his family, trusted by his patients, and respected by his community is never an acceptable form of expression. while virtually all established groups have condemned this act, some individuals are still

threatening violence against the health care providers they disagree with. the message to those people needs to be unequivocal and it needs to be unanimous, we will not condone violence in any form. and those who perpetrate it will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. mr. speaker, we must have a civil discourse in this society and this is something we all have to strive for together. i know that we on our side of the aisle and my colleagues on the other side of the aisle all believed this. we need to put it into action. i will say that dr. george tiller is survived by his wife, jean, their four children, and 10 grandchildren. i think the saddest thing about all this and the thing that personalizes it the most is that jean called dr. tiller buddy and the reason he called -- she called him buddy was because he was her best friend.

mr. speaker, the mark of a civilized society must be civil discourse. we cannot lose one more of someone's best friend as you of this lack of civility. i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady yields back. without objection, the gentleman from arizona will control the time. mr. franks: i reserve. the speaker pro tempore: and continues to reserve. the gentleman from new york. mr. nadler: mr. speaker, i now yield 1 1/2 minutes to the distinguished gentlelady from texas. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady from texas. ms. jackson lee: i thank the speaker. i thank the distinguished chairman and the author of this legislation, the distinguished gentlelady from new york, ms. slaughter, chairman of the rules committee. i rise to simply say to this house and to america, enough is enough. i'm delighted that we have heard the majority of pro-life organizations who are americans as well to denounce this horrific act. my deepest sympathy to doctor tiller's wife and children and

grandchildren, but i think it is not enough to offer our sympathy. it is a requirement that we denounce this with every fiber of our body. in addition, i think it's important as we go forward that right to life organizations learn to respect the first amendment and certainly the sanctity of a house of worepship. it is important to note that dr. tiller is not and was not a criminal, did not perform criminal acts that responded to women who willingly came into his office with the counsel of their family and their religious leader and made a decision addressing the question of their health and the concerns of their family. many of those women who came to dr. tiller wanted to have children. were praying for children. and were able to have children and give birth to a healthy child thereafter. i am concerned that the alleged perpetrator now incarcerated and held in jail is he continuing to make threats against those who are trying to both abide by the law and serve the needs of more

than 51% of america. yes, we know there is opposition to abortion. none of us stand here as abortion proponents. what we stand here as is simply individuals who believe in choice. prayerfully believe in choice. and therefore i'm asking full support for this initiative to denounce the killing of dr. tiller, but i'm also saying enough is enough. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from north carolina. mr. coble: i continue to reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: continues to reserve. the gentleman from new york. mr. nadler: mr. speaker, i now yield one minute to the distinguished gentlelady from illinois, ms. schakowsky. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady from illinois is recognized for one minute. ms. schakowsky: mr. speaker, i rise in support of house resolution 505 honoring the life of dr. george tiller and condemning his brutal murder at church. i thank representative slaughter for this resolution. dr. tiller was a husband and a father, he studied at the university of kansas school of medicine, and searched his

country as a united states navy flight surgeon intern. despite attacks and threats against him, he continued his service as a tireless advocate for women's health and women's rights. on may 31 he was brutally gunned down in broad daylight in his place of worship by an extremist who took the law into his own hands. enough is enough. it is time for us to condemn this act of violence and state forcefully we will not condone murrer -- murder, threats, or intimidation in the future. in addition to my condolences to the family, i extend my gratitude to them for his life, his courage, his unyielding support for women, their health, and freedom to exercise their constitutional rights. i yield back. soil the gentlelady yields back. the gentleman from north carolina. mr. coble: i continue to reserve the balance of my time. mr. speaker. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves. the gentleman from new york. mr. nadler: mr. speaker, i now yield one minute to the distinguished gentlelady from california, mrs. capps. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady from kapp is recognized for one -- from california is recognized for one

minute. mrs. capps: i rise in strong support of house resolution 505 with deepest sympathy for the family and loved ones of dr. george tiller in strongest condemnation of his murder. murder in any setting is horrific, it's unconscionable. but to commit a heinous crime of violence inside a place of worship that teaches a message of tolerance and nonviolence is especially reprehensible. dr. tiller was guiding worshipers to their seats. his wife was singing in the choir when he was gunned down. this is so precisely the opposite of where humanity should be in 2009. violence, especially murder, should never be a recourse for differences in beliefs. so i ask my colleagues to join me in condemning acts of violence and intolerence and i ask that we resolve to honor the memory of dr. george tiller, a physician and man of god, by working harder than ever to promote tolerence, to promote nonviolence. i urge all our colleagues to stand unanimously in voting in favor of this resolution.

i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady yields back. the gentleman from north carolina. mr. coble: continue to reserve. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from north carolina reserves. the gentleman from new york. mr. nadler: mr. speaker, i now yield one minute to the distinguished gentleman from new york, mr. tonko. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from new york is recognized for one minute. mr. tonko: thank you, mr. speaker. i rise today in strong support of the resolution before the house sponsored by my very good friend, representative louise slaughter, condemning the senseless killing of george tiller. dr. tiller was gunned down while serving as an usher during church services last week. we are blessed in this country to have freedom of speech, freedom of assembly, and freedom to protest. our country has a history of nonviolent protest from the women's rights movement to the civil rights movement to the gay rights movement. dr. martin luther king jr. breached nonviolence and his great movement heeded this call

in the -- of unspeakable violence. this is a terrible perversion of what it means to be pro-life. while we have different views on this issue, no side should resort to atrocious acts of violence such as this. since 1977 there have been more than 5,800 reported acts of violence against providers like dr. tiller. since 1993, eight people have been murder and there have been 17 attempted murders since 1991. clinics like dr. tiller's over a 20-year span have been bombed 41 times and faced 175arsons and 96 attempted bombings andarsons. i understand this is a compassionate issue for both sides. we cannot allow this to continue. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman's time has expired. the gentleman from north carolina. mr. coble: i continue to reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves. the gentleman from new york. mr. nadler: i now yield two minutes to the distinguished gentlelady from new york, miss maloney.

-- new york mrs. maloney. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady from new york is recognized for two minutes. mrs. maloney: i thank the gentleman for yielding and for his leadership. rochester, new york, has historically given this nation some of our greatest women leaders. elizabeth cady stanton, susan b. anthony, and louise slaughter. with this bill that she authored, she is one of the strongest links in leading women and this country and protecting our rights. we thank you, louise, for your continued leadership. the horror that played out inside a wichita church, the murder of dr. tiller, is a wound to the conscience of this nation. he had long been a target of violence and hate because he provided legal abortions. he provided medical care to women in need.

any time a doctor has to put his life on the line to provide medical care, it has a chilling effect on americans' ability to get the medical care that they need. the consequences of dr. tiller's murder are a tragedy not only to his family, not only for women in kansas, but for women everywhere, especially in areas of our country where there are relatively few medical providers. dr. tiller is the eighth abortion provider to be murdered since 1977. and he was one of just seven doctors in the entire state of kansas. where will women go for the medical help that they need? we have seen throughout history that hate is not just ugly, it can be deadly. i hope that leaders on both sides of this debate will look at the savage killing of dr.