to yield his time wherever i will yield mine and we will -- the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from tennessee reserves his time. the gentleman from texas. mr. gohmert: thank you, mr. speaker. i yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. gohmert: i comments i made previously were with regard to this bill as amended, so i would ask that the record so reflect and since a lot of people have difficulty hearing me speak very long because the accent, i won't repeat those comments and would yield back the balance of my time the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from texas yields back his time. the gentleman from tennessee. mr. cohen: thank you, mr. speaker, i appreciate the gentleman from texas and i understand him clearly and well. some people don't understand us as well as we understand each other. and i would like to also comment that the previous remarks that i made be incorporated by reference onto this bill and with such i would yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the

gentleman yields back the balance of his time. will the house suspend the rules. those in favor say aye. those opposed, no. in the opinion of the chair, 2/3 of those voting having responded 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 tennessee rise? mr. cohen: i move to suspend the rules and pass h.r. 2247 as amended. the speaker pro tempore: the clerk will report the title of the bill. the clerk: h.r. 2247, a bill t amend title 5, united states code to make technical amendments to certain provisions of title 5, united states code enacted by the congressional review act. the speaker pro tempore: pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from tennessee, mr. cohen and the gentleman from texas, mr. gohmert, each will control 20 minutes. the gentleman from tennessee. mr. cohen: i ask that all members have five days to

revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on the bill under consideration. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. mr. cohen: i yield myself such time as i may consume. this resolution would cut governmental waste by reducing duplicative paperwork currently mandated by the congressional review act. the congressional review act is the review of rules. it currently provides it must submit documents to both houses of congress and the comptroller general, it must contain a copy of the rule -- it's printed four times. the house parliamentarian testified in three separate congresses about the

ever-increasing volume of executive communications this bill eliminates the requirement that agencies submit copies of rules with accompanying reports to each house of congress. instead, the house will receive a weekly list of all rules and would have the list printed in the congressional record with a statement of referral for each bill. the house and senate retain the option to obtain the major rules. what this does is basically cuts out some unnecessary paperwork and saves forests. i thank the judiciary committee chairman conyers, ranking member lamar smith and trent franks, ranking member on the subcommittee of communicative law for being co-sponsors that common sense bill that rightfully has strong bipartisan report. i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from texas.

mr. gohmert: i join my colleague in support of h.r. 2247, the congressional review act improvement act. the congressional review act provides quonk a vital but underused tool to oversee how agencies exercise the legislative authority congress delegates to them this is an important first step toward improving the act's efficient sained effectiveness. as a measure first proposed -- 106th congress by the late henry hyde. it had bipartisan support then as it does today this legislation will streamline the house parliamentarian's role under the congressional review act, shifting some of the parliamentarian's paperwork responsibilities to the comptroller general. the day-to-day volume of paper work that the small staff at the parliamentarian's office under the act is large. by he -- by are redution this burden, this bill will improve the efficient soif house

operations while at the same time not hampering oversight of agency rules. we obtained this measure's passage in the last congress but the senate unfortunately did not act upon it. i urge me house to pass it again this term and i'm hopeful the senate will pass it as well. the goal is to provide assistance of the overworked parliamentarian's office and i remained grateful to the parliamentarian's office ever since the first time in my first term here i went up to be speaker protell and was advised -- pro tem and was advised by the parliamentarian to be careful when i lean back, averting me on camera falling back and flailing my arms as i would have without the parliamentarian's assistance. with that, i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves. the gentleman from tennessee is recognized.

mr. cohen: i reserve my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from texas -- >> mr. gohmert: i have no further speakers, i'm prepared to close. and would yield back the balance of my time upon urging colleagues to support this bill. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from texas yields back the balance of his time. the gentleman from tennessee is recognized. mr. cohen: i too yield back my time and urge a favorable vote. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back his time. the question is, will the house suspend the rules and pass h.r. 2247 as amended. those in favor say aye. those opposed, no. in the opinion of the chair -- mr. cohen: mr. speaker. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. cohen: i ask that the yeas around nays be recorded. the speaker pro tempore: the yeas and nays are requested. those in favor of taking this vote by the yeas and nays will rise and remain standing until counted.

a sufficient number having risen, the yeas and nays are ordered. 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 virginia rise? mr. scott: mr. speaker, i move to suspend the rules and pass h.r. 2661. the speaker pro tempore: the clerk will -- mr. scott: as amended. the speaker pro tempore: the clerk will report the title of the bill. the clerk: h.r. 2661, a bill to amend title 18, united states code to increase the penalty for violations of section 119 relating to protection of individuals performing certain official duties. the speaker pro tempore: pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from virginia, mr. scott, and the gentleman from texas, mr. gohmert, each will control 20 minutes. the chair recognizes the gentleman from virginia. mr. scott: thank you, mr. speaker. i ask unanimous consent that all members have five legislative days to revise and

extend their remarks, include extraneous material on the bill under consideration. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. mr. scott: i yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. scott: the court security enhancement act addresses improper public disclosure of private information regarding all federal officers and employees and all persons involved in the system. this prohibits the disclosure of private information with the intention to threaten, intimidate or incite violence against a person involved in the judicial system or his or her family. the safety of all who participate in our judicial process is essential in the integrity of our judicial system. threats and attacks against citizens and court officials are also attacks on the fair and effective administration of justice. it is already a felony to knowingly disclose with harmful intent restricted personal information, including a federal employee's home address, home phone number or

work address. the united states sentencing commission brought to our attention the disparity between the five-year penlt for this crime and the 10-year penalty for another form of harassment against a federal employee. they asked whether or not we intended that disparity. we did not. to recuse the disparity and bring the penalty for disclosing private information the court security enhancement act increases the penalty from five to 10 years this bill also corrects a conflict we inadvertently created last session in sections 503 and 504 of the court security act of 2007 this bill eliminates that conflict and clarifies that senior judges must perform at least the equivalent of a six-month work load of an active judge to participate in

court governance matters, including the selection of magistrate judges. i urge my colleagues to support this legislation and thank the gentleman from texas for introducing the bill. i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from virginia reserves his time. the gentleman from texas is recognized. mr. gohmert: thank you, mr. speaker. i yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. gohmert: on january 7 of last year, president bush did sign into law a critical piece of legislation, the court security improvement act. i was pleased to join chairman conyers and chairman scott as original co-sponsor on the bill. it's bipartisan, bicameral effort that improved security for federal judges, their staffs, victims, witnesses and all who participate in the federal justice system. i had the honor and privilege to sit down with a number of judges around witnesses and victims and staff members to discuss this problem back before the legislation was originated and we're trying to

address some of the problems that had been created. in recent years we've seen an increase in violence and threats against judges, prosecutors, defense counsel, law enforcement officers and courthouse employees. according to the admrgetive office of u.s. court, almost 700 threats a year are made against federal judges. in numerous cases it's been necessary to assign judges security details for fear of attack by disgruntled litigants. we have a way to improve efficiency between the marshals and judiciary and strengthen security for those dealing with drugs and crime figures. it prohibits disclosure on the internet of information about judges, law enforcement officers and witnesses and

prohibits efforts to intimidate them through false file offings liens or other encumbrances against their personal property. i introduce h.r. 2661, the court security enhancement act to make two important corrections to the security statutes. at the recommendation of the u.s. sentencing commission, me the bill does increase the penalty for violations of section 119 of title 18 from a maximum of five to a max numb of 10 yearings this section prohibits the public disclosure of certain information of jurors, witnesses or family members of these individuals. this common sense, straightforward change will conform the penalties for section 119 offenses to the penalties of other comparable court security provisions. at the recommendation of the u.s. judicial conference, the bill also eliminates an inconsistency unintentionally created by the court security improvement act pertaining to

requirements for senior district court judges participation in court governance this simple amendment will ensure consistent application of the statutes governing senior district court judges. i want to thank chairman conyers, chairman ask the, ronking member ship smith for their support and prorpt consideration of the bill. it's imperative we continue to work together in a bipartisan effort to ensure that judges, witnesses, courthouse personnel and law enforcement officers do not face threats and violence while carrying out their duties and if there is, there are serious consequence. with that i urge my colleagues to support the bill and reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the secret from texas reserves. the gentleman from virginia. mr. scott: i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves the balance of his time. the gentleman from texas. mr. gohmert: since there are no other speakers, i would continue tone courage my colleagues to support this bill and yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from texas yields

back. the gentleman from virginia is recognized. mr. scott: thank you, i yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. scott: i thank the gentleman for introducing the bill and yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. the question is, will the house suspend the rules and pass h.r. 2661 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, the bill is passed and without objection they have motion to reconsider is laid on the disable. without objection, the title amended. for what purpose does the gentleman from virginia rise? mr. scott: mr. speaker, i move to suspend the rules and pass house resolution 540. the speaker pro tempore: the clerk will report the title of the resolution. the clerk: house resolution 540, expressing condolences to the family, friends, and loved ones of the victims of the catastrophic explosion at the conagra foods plant in garner, north carolina and for other

purposes. the speaker pro tempore: pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from virginia, mr. scott, and the gentleman from texas, mr. gohmert each will control 20 minutes. the chair recognizes the gentleman from virginia. mr. scott: i ask unanimous consent that all members have five legislative kays to revise and extend their remks and include extraneous material in the material under consideration. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. mr. scott: i yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. scott: with this the house of representatives acknowledges the tragedy that happened at conagra on june 9, 2009, and extends our sympathy of people in garner and all those touched by this tragedy. i thank the gentleman from north carolina, mr. etheridge, for introducing this important lees lution about a sad tragedy. shortly before 11:30 a.m. on june 9, last tuesday a massive explosion ripped through the conagra plant in north carolina while about 300 mes were working. the explosion killed three

employees and injured at least 38 others. three of the responding firefighters were also treated for chemical inhalation. we wish we could turn back the hands of time and prevent this terrible tragedy. unfortunately, we can't. instead, we need to do all we can to understand the cause of the explosion so we can minimize the risk of explosions like it. this past weekend the response team announced 9 explosion was -- the explosion was called by natural gas. the occupational safety and health administration and the u.s. chemical and safety board along with others will continue with the investigation. we express our deepest condolences to the families, friends and loved ones of the victims of this tragedy. we honor three employees who lost their lives in the explosion, barbara mclean spears of dunn, north carolina, louis junior watson of clayton,

north carolina, rachel mae poston pulley of clayton, north carolina. and we also honor those who suffered injuries. and finally we commend the heroic actions of the first responders. the garner police and fire departments, the emergency medical personnel, the north carolina task force search and rescue, the a.t.f. and all other personnel and private citizens who came to the rescue. their efforts, along with those with the conagra employees themselves no doubt prevented further life -- lives or injuries. i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from virginia reserves the balance of his time. the gentleman from texas. mr. gohmert: thank you, mr. speaker. i yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. gohmert: i rise in support of the resolution which expresses the heartfelt condolences of this body to the family, friends and loved ones of the victims of the june 9

explosion at conagra food plant in garner, north carolina. as the resolution notes, the people of north carolina experienced a devastating tragedy with a massive explosion occurring at the plant shortly before 11:30 a.m. the 100,000 square foot employee employed 900 people, 300 were on site. as a result of the blast, three workers lost their lives when the explosion ripped through the plant. one brave employee, louis junior watson, selflessly re-entered the building to try to help a co-worker escape. tragically, neither employee was able to escape the plant before the structure collapsed. along with mr. watson, the resolution honors the memories of barbara mclean spears, rachel mae poston pulley who were the other two people who perished in the plant. we know that at least 40 eers employees were injured during the accident. some suffered from explosion -- exposed from toxic ammonia fumes. north carolina's first responders, including firefighters, police officers

and emergency medical technicians quickly arrived on the scene. their timely efforts probably prevented many other losses of life or injury. this resolution, as my colleague from virginia noted, commends them for their sacrifice. in addition to the first responders, we also recognized the private citizens of the proud community of garner who came to the aid of families and friends and neighbors of those in the tragedy. i join mr. etheridge, chairman scott and my colleagues in the house to express our sincere sympathy to the people of garner, the entire state of north carolina and the nation who grieve for the victims and reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from texas reserves the balance of his time. the gentleman from virginia. mr. scott: thank you, mr. speaker. mr. speaker, i yield such time as he may consume to the sponsor of the resolution, the gentleman from north carolina,

mr. etheridge. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from north carolina is recognized. mr. etheridge: i thank the gentleman for yielding and, mr. speaker, i want to thank my good friend, chairman conyers, the majority leader hoyer for expediting this to the floor today. last tuesday, june 9, the town of garner in my district changed forever. a natural gas leak, as you've heard, ignited a massive explosion at the conagra food plant claws caugs the collapse of the significant portion of the structure. three employees died in the explosion and close to 40 others were injured. four with critical burns. this resolution remembers the lives of barbara mclean spears of dunn, north carolina, louis junior watson and rachel mae poston pulley both of clayton. they were all hardworking americans who did just what we do every day. they got up, they went to work on that faithful day tuesday to make their lives better and to

do their part to contribute to america's work force and success of this nation. one of those workers, louis junior watson, was particularly heroic. though he had a means of escape, mr. watson chose to remain in the building to aid his co-worker, barbara mclean spears, who had fallen. this extraordinary man is truly a hero and exemplifies the spirit of community and kinship that has strengthened his community. mr. watson and his wife, terri, would have celebrated their wedding anniversary yesterday. they had a 14-year-old son, a 16-year-old, an 18-year-old daughters. louis junior watson was laid to rest at 11:00 today. more than 1,000 people attended his sunday funeral services held for rachel mae poston pulley. ms. pulley was a mother of

seven and a grandmother of six. barbara mclean spears, who was married one year ago to her partner of 15 years, anthony spears, leaves behind her 61-year-old mother, two brothers and two nieces. she was also laid to rest yesterday. mr. speaker, i ask my colleagues to join me in honoring their lives and their loved ones who are left behind. this resolution also recognizes mayor williams and his staff our first responders, police, e.m.s. who were quick to the scene and prevented further loss of life or injury. those emergency personnel worked tirelessly on behalf of our communities, and we thank all of them, including private citizens who stepped up in this great time of need. four of those brave firefighters, as you already

heard, were injured in the line of duty on tuesday, and we commend their heroic efforts. the citizens in and around my district have come together in the wake of this devastation. and it has been remarkable. i'm heartened and encouraged by the show of sport which my fellow north carolinians. our small communities are enhanced by businesses like conagra which employed 900 people at this plant. i'm pleased to learn that they've set up a recovery fund for the victims and they have been distributing groceries to their employees in need. i know that conagra is working to rebuild the plant, and i look forward to the day when the employees can return to their work. there's a great demand for the products that conagra is producing in garner, and i'm pleased that these snacks and our food products are made in the second district in north carolina. mr. speaker, let us remember those who have -- we have lost and be thankful for those who

were saved. i thoughts and prayers are with the victims, their families and the entire conagra community because they are suffering. on friday night i participated in a vigil in garner to remember and honor the victims. i was honored to attend and pleased with the tremendous outpouring of support. at 11:30 tomorrow, exactly one week after the accident, mayor williams, the city of garner and all the community will join together with other individuals in other communities who were touched by the accident in a moment of silence to commemorate this disaster. i hope that we will have congress' voice represented there with the passage of this resolution. and i urge my colleagues to support this important and necessary and timely resolution. mr. speaker, i yield back the

balance of my time. -- i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves the balance of his time. the gentleman from texas. mr. gohmert: mr. speaker, i will continue to reserve. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman continues to reserve. the gentleman from virginia. mr. scott: mr. speaker, i yield such time as he may consume to another colleague from north carolina, mr. price. the speaker pro tempore: the chair recognizes the gentleman from north carolina, mr. price. mr. price: thank you, mr. speaker. i'm pleased to join colleagues today in offering condolences to families and friends and co-workers of barbara mclean spears, louis junior watson and rachel mae poston pulley, the three workers who tragically lost their lives in an explosion at the conagra plant in garner, north carolina, on june 9. this area, garner, north carolina, is an area that i formerly represented as their congressman.

it's now represented by our colleague, bob etheridge, and i want to thank bob for sponsoring this resolution here today and enabling us to come together in this time of tribute. our sympathy goes out to the families of the victims but also to the 40 conagra employees who were injured in this plant explosion and collapse. some of them have severe burns, they have other serious injuries. we wish them a successful recovery and we thank the medical providers, including the burn center at u.n.c. chapel hill who are doing so much to treat these victims. often it does take a tragedy like the conagra explosion to publicly highlight the courageous work of our first responders. we commend those who responded to this explosion. many stories of bravery that prevented further injury or

loss of life. the fire, the police, the emergency medical services of garner and wake county and many surrounding communities that were called in heeded the call to rescue the conagra plant employees in a quick and safe manner. so we're very indebted to them and grateful to them. these first responders put us first, put our communities first every day. there are also many private citizens who risked their lives helping plant employees evacuate. selfless assistance to their suffering neighbors. that's a testament to the character and the strength of garner's community. the conagra plant, as my colleague, mr. etheridge, has said, is a cornerstone of the garner and wake county community. it was built as a sausage plant nearly 50 years ago. as we move forward remembering the victims of this tragedy and the way that this plant provided the livelihood for so

many people, we do hope the plant is rebuilt and that employees can return to work and we're heartened that plans seem to be under way. we do need to remain vigilant, of course, in our efforts to improve workplace safety. the bureau of alcohol and tobacco and firearms has concluded their investigation. finding, fortunately, no evidence of criminal intent. the community safety board investigation is ongoing. and we need to get to the bottom of this. we need to understand what happened. and we need, of course, to adopt practices and policies that lead to safer facilities in the future and avoid this kind of tragedy. so, mr. chairman, in closing, i want to add my tribute to the memories of those that we have lost, to give thanks for those who've been spared, to join colleagues in sympathy for the

victims and their families. and i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from north carolina yields back. the gentleman from texas. mr. gohmert: i would just urge my colleagues to support the resolution and with that yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from texas yields back the balance of his time. the gentleman from virginia. mr. scott: thank you, mr. speaker. mr. speaker, i yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. scott: i thank my colleagues from north carolina for bringing this tragedy to our attention and giving us the opportunity to convey our condolences. with that i urge my colleagues to support the resolution and yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from virginia yields back the balance of his time. the question is will the house suspend the rules and agree to house resolution 540. 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 -- mr. etheridge: mr. speaker, i ask for the yeas and nays. ask for the yeas and nays. the speaker pro tempore: the