f-15 to the space shuttle. my daughter-in-law, lindsay nelson, a marine corps pilot, is part of the lasting legacy of wasp. lindsay's a graduate of the united states naval academy, served two combat tours in iraq and afghanistan, where she flew the fa-18 fighter jet. i'm so proud of lindsay and of all our service women, past and present, who continue to aspire young women to achieve the unfathomable. by definition a congressional gold medal is the highest expression of congress of national appreciation for the most heroic, courageous, and outstanding individuals. given the overwhelming support of this legislation, as evidenced by the bipartisan support of 334 co-sponsors in the house companion legislation, i am confident that members of this chamber deem the wasp as deserving of this honor. .

of the 1,102 wasps, more than 300 are alive today and residing in almost every state in our country. join me in paying homage to these trail blazers and these patriots who served our country without question and with no expectation of recognition or praise. mr. speaker, i urge my colleagues to join me in voting yes on this bill to award the wasp the congressional gold medal and request its prompt signing into law. and i also ask unanimous consent, mr. speaker, that the names of the 1,102 wasps be printed in the congressional record for history's sake. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. ms. ros-lehtinen: with that i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman from florida reserves the balance of her time. the gentleman from texas. mr. green: mr. speaker, i'd like to yield myself as much time as i consume to thank the

gentlelady for the outstanding work she's done on this piece of legislation. she's worked tirelessly to bring it to the floor and i compliment the lady along with senator hutchinson for the outstanding job she has done as well. i encourage my colleagues to support this legislation and i continue to reserve. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman continues to reserve. the gentlewoman from florida. ms. ros-lehtinen: thank you, mr. speaker. i'd like to yield five minutes to the gentleman from texas, mr. conaway, who's district covers -- whose district covers sweet water, texas, which is home to the wasp. this is where they train and where their museum is. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from texas is recognized for five minutes. mr. conaway: thank you, mr. speaker, and i thank the gentlelady forgiving me some time to speak. it's my great pleasure to rise it to recognize the invaluable service by the women's air force service pilots during world war ii. their history is one of many surprising and impressive stories that helped define a generation. the early 1940's, as it became apparent that the united states

could not avoid the wars that plaguing europe and the far east, many accomplished pilots volunteered their services to our country. they were thanked for their offer but refused because they were women. their argument that women -- female pilots could free up male pilots to serve in combat roles was initially dismissed by the army air force's leadership. yet two of our nation's most female pilots, jacklin cochran and nancy harkin love, persevered and continued to lobby for the ability to use their exceptional skills in service of our country. as the nation mobilized it became clear there were not enough male pilots in the country to fight the war and man the home front. as the iconic rosie the riveter began to build her tanks and planes, the army set up two squadrons of women pilots to assist in the war effort. in 1942 mrs. love became the commanding officer of the ferry squadron in new castle, delaware, which ferre ideaed planes around the country from

factories to airbases. not long after that, cochran became commanding officer of the 319th women's flying training detachment in houston, texas, which provided basic flight instruction for the army air forces. on august 5, 1942 -- 1943, the squadrons were combined to form the women's air force service pilots. over 25,000 women applied to become pilots and only some 1,900 were selected for training. of these almost 1,100 eventually earned their wings, many in the hometown of sweet water, texas, in the district i get to represent. the women who volunteered to fly planes faced a world that we can squaresly imagine. while complaints of sexism in the workplace still continue today, in the 1940's, sexism was not the exception but the standard operating practice. the women of the wasp were paid less, trained within with inferior equipment, -- trained

with inferior equipment and faced an openly hostile working environment. they had to pay for their room and board and uniforms. yet through all of that, the wasp pilots were stationed at over 120 airbases throughout the united states, flying every type of aircraft and performing almost every duty of the pilots in the army air forces. they logged 60,000 miles ferrying planes, transporting cargo and personnel, towing targets, instructing new cadets and acting as test pilots. of the 1,100 women who flew as wasps, 38 gave their lives. in what remains a below the on our country, these women will return home not with military honors but at the expense of their families because although they flew military planes they were not considered to be members of the army. in october, 1944, the program abruptly -- the program ended appear abruptly and many of the records surrounding the program were filed away in classified government archives. it is not until the air force

announced it would train the military's first female pilots in the 1970's it renewed interest in the wasp allowed them to be granted veteran status and the campaign ribbons -- ribbons they earned. while it might be attempting to seek today's congressional gold medal as a way to right the injuries done to the women, to do so would be to neglect the true significance of their contributions in winning a war and advancing women's quality. the legacy of the wasp is unmistakable, at a time when women were assumed to be less capable than men, these individuals stood up and asked for the right to prove themselves. they didn't just answer the call of their country, they called themselves to service and by doing so, forever upended the motion of what women could and should do in our armed forces. i would like to commend the leadership and the board of the national wasp world war ii museum in sweet water, texas, for preserving the unique history of these women and preparing educational materials to share their story with countless students throughout

the country. and i would recommend to the leadership, the speaker and to my colleagues to swing by sweet water, texas, it's on i-20, it's an easy drive from fort worth or el paso, 300 miles either direction, to see this museum and get a player of for what these women en-- flavor for what these women endured during training. it was in a pretty rough part of texas and you'd be impressed with what they did and what they accomplished. additionally i would like to thank air force major nicole who worked tirelessly to secure this tribute for the service of these women. the major was a thunderbird pilot, the thunderbirds are the -- two more minutes. ms. ros-lehtinen: i yield an additional two minutes to the gentleman from. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized for an additional two minutes. mr. conaway: thank you, madam chairman. the thunderbirds are the elite performance team for the air force and nicole was a member of

that team in the early 1990's. as a test pilot from err -- from her letter, as a test pilot, no one understands this legacy better than her. as she explained in her letter to me, i'm convinced that every opportunity i've been afforded from flying combat patrols over iraq to representing the military's fellow is because of thighs pee nearing wasps. countless serviceman have reaped their courage and sacrifice. it is with great enthusiasm that i ask my colleagues for their support on senate bill 614 and that we recognize the contribution of these women for their service with its highest congressional award and i thank you for the time and i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: does the gentlewoman from florida reserve the balance err time. ms. ros-lehtinen: we have no further requests for time and yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman from florida yields back her time. the gentleman from texas. greep green i yield myself such time as i may consume for a very brief closing. the speaker of the wasp is without question among the stories that are rarely if ever

told. in fact, i have contended and continue to contend it's among the greatest stories never told. for this reason we should accord this congressional gold medal. i beg that all of my friends support it, if a vote is called for. i shall not call for one. the speaker pro tempore: the question is, will the house suspend the rules and pass senate 614. 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 gentlewoman from wisconsin rise? >> i move that the house suspend the rules and agree to h. resolution 366, recognizing the 40th anniversary of the national eye institute and expressing sfor for the designation of 2010

through 2020 as the decade of viths. the speaker pro tempore: the clerk will report the title of the resolution. the clerk: house resolution 366, resolution recognizing the 40th anniversary of the national eye institute and expressing support for designation of 2010 through 2020 as the decade of vision. the speaker pro tempore: pursuant to the rule, the gentlewoman from wisconsin, ms. baldwin, and the gentleman from texas, mr. sessions, each will control 20 minutes. the chair recognizes the gentlewoman from wisconsin. ms. baldwin: thank you, mr. speaker. i ask unanimous consent that all members have five legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. ms. baldwin: thank you, mr. speaker. i yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman is recognized. ms. baldwin: this resolution recognizeshe 40th anniversary of the national eye institute within the national institutes of health. and designates the years 2010 through 2020 as the decade of

vision. eye disease is a significant public health problem. those disproportionately affected by eye disease are aging populations, the african-american and hispanic communities and those who suffer from chronic diseases, especially diabetes. the national eye institute estimates that eye disease and vision impairment currently costs the nation $68 billion in health care costs, lost productivity, reduced independence, diminished quality of life and accelerated mortality. the n.e.i. leads our nation's efforts to prevent blindness and to save and restore vision. the n.e.i. has been a leader in both basic and translational research, its researchers have been able to society 1/4 of all genes discovered to date with eye disease and vision

impairment. the n.e.i. has conducted more than 60 clinical trials that have resulted in treatments and therapies to save sight and in some cases actually reverse vision loss. the national eye institute estimates that over the decade of 2010 to 2020 the number of individuals over age 40 who experience blindness, low vision or age-related eye disease such as age-related mack lar degeneration, glaucoma, and cataract will grow from today's level of 38 million cases to 50 million cases. as a result, the national eye institute's leadership in directing vital vision research over the next decade will be more important than ever. i have been pleased to work on

this resolution with my co-author, mr. sessions of texas, and he has been a terrific co-author and worked very hard with me to bring this matter to the floor and to the attention of this congress. i commend this resolution to my colleagues and would reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman from wisconsin reserves the balance of her time. the gentleman from texas. mr. sessions: thank you, mr. speaker. mr. speaker, i rise in support of the gentlewoman's amendment and i want to thank tammie baldwin from wisconsin for not only working with me but also other members of my conference, republican conference, on important issues related to eye and retinal health and i appreciate her recognizing today the 40th anniversary of the national eye institute, h.res. 366. and also i appreciate her dedication to people that are suffering with retinal and eye diseases and these vision issues

that we speak about today as a result of our support and the support of the national eye institute make a difference to thousands of people who have these eye diseases and their families and i'm very proud of this resolution. last congress we, meaning mrs. bald with win and i, joined together in support of national glaucoma day and today we're here to recognize the 40th anniversary of the national eye institute and express support for the designation of 2010 through 2020 as the decade of vision. the national eye institute, also known as n.e.i., was established by congress in 1968 to protect and prolong vision of the american people. n.e.i. research leads to insight into saving retinal treatments, reducing visual impairment and blindness and improves the quality of life for people of all ages. vision research has been

supported through the n.e.i. by over 1,600 research grants and training awards made to scientists at more than 250 medical centers, hospitals, universities and other institutions across the country and around the world. with congressional and public support, the research has yielded substantial dividends to treat many potentially blinding eye diseases and visual disorders. vision impairment and eye disease is a major public policy problem for the world to face. as you have heard, vision-related costs here in the united states approach $68 billion annually. there are some 38 million people in the united states over the age of 40 currently experiencing blindness, low vision or age-related disease. this number is estimated to increase to 50 million people by 2020.

n.e.i. benefits children born eye diseases and vision loss as well as older citizens and anyone else that fits in between. n.e.i. actively works to predict, prevent and preempt aging eye disease and visual impairment thereby enabling more productive lives and reducing vision costs. the national eye institute is the world leader in basic research with the national institute of human genome project to translate the discovery of genes which compromise one quarter of genes discovered to date into diagnostic and treatment modalities. the n.e.i. has been a leader in collaborative research with so many private funded entities such as the human gene therapy trial with the foundation of fighting blindness or f.f.b.

for individuals with leber congenital amaurosis, a rapid retinal degeneration that blinds infants in their first year of life. this trial has demonstrated improvement even with initial safety trials. i am a big supporter of the foundation fighting blindness and the work that they have done in the past continues to carry out in our daily lives. this resolution recognizes the 40 years of service from the national eye institute and commends them for their leadership while supporting their mission to prevent blindness and save and restore vision. additionally, this resolution designates 2010 through 2020 as the decade of vision to maintain awareness in the decade of public health challenges associated with vision impairment and eye disease. as well, to emphasize the need for prevention and early

detection, access to treatment and rehabilitation. lastly, we commend the national alliance for eye and vision research for its efforts to expand awareness of the incidents and burdens of eye disease through this decade of vision initiative. mr. speaker, i am very proud of supporting not only this 40th anniversary but also to say that the united states congress has a what i believe is a realistic opportunity to work with the national institute of health to make sure we continue to push the envelope for people who are in this country and around the world who are counting on research and development to cure blindness during this decade of vision. i encourage all of my colleagues to vote in favor of this resolution. i thank the gentlewoman from wisconsin for her concentrated and special support of blindness issues. i look forward to working with her, and i yield back the

balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from texas yields back the balance of his time. the gentlewoman from wisconsin. ms. baldwin: thank you, mr. speaker. i'd now like to yield three minutes to a fellow member of the energy and commerce committee and a champion of vision issues, mr. green of texas. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from texas is recognized for three minutes. mr. green: thank you, mr. speaker, members, and i'd like to thank my colleague who is a diligent hardworking member of our energy and commerce committee for sponsoring h.r. 366, celebrating the decade of vision and the national alliance 40th -- of the national eye institute's 40th anniversary. i strongly support the national eye institute which serves as the lead n.i.h. institute to save and restore vision. n.e.i. research has contributed to the development of several critical therapies and interventions that are helping to slow the progression of vision impairment. in some cases these therapies are helping to restore sight for individuals who may otherwise have lost their

vision. treatments for diabetic retinopany saves us billions annually. it is resulting in treatments that is slowing vision loss. starting next year the first wave of the 78 million baby boomers will be turning 65 years old. an age of elevated risk for eye disease. in the african-american and hispanic populations and the increased incidents of eye disease, the n.e.i. will be challenged more than ever to fund basic and clinical research that results in treatment and therapies. as demonstrated by its past history, i'm confident that n.e.i. will rise to this challenge. of course, we in congress must make sure that it is adequately funded so they can continue the research and the vision help for all americans.

thank you, mr. speaker. i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. the gentlewoman from wisconsin. ms. baldwin: thank you, mr. speaker. i want to close by recognizing just a few of the champions of eye health and the warriors against eye disease from the district that i have the privilege of representing. and i know like my co-author, congressman sessions, we were brought -- drawn to this issue because of pioneers, things that are happening in each of our respective districts. dr. paul kaufman is a leading eye researcher at the university of madison and a major -- university of wisconsin-madison, and a major part of the national eye institute. i want to commend and recognize his groundbreaking research. also, a technology called brain port is being developed in my district by a company called wycab with the support of national eye institute funding. and this technology is helping

the blind to find new ways to process visual information. these sort of break throughs are so exciting and really go back to the importance of celebrating the accomplishments to date and the future potential through the national eye institute with our support. again, i commend to my colleagues support of this resolution and 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 366. all those in favor say aye. all those opposed, no. in the opinion of the chair, 2/3 having responded in the affirmative -- the gentlewoman from wisconsin. ms. baldwin: mr. speaker, i demand the yeas and nays. the speaker pro tempore: the yeas and nays are requested. all those in favor of taking this vote by the yeas and nays will rise and remain standing until counted. a sufficient number having arisen, the yeas and nays are ordered. pursuant to clause 8 and rule 20 and the chair's prior announcement, further proceedings on this motion will be postponed.

pursuant to clause 8 of rule 20, proceedings will continue on motions previously postponed. votes will be taken in the voling order. h.r. 2470 by the yeas and nays, h.r. 780 by the yeas and nays, h.r. 2247 by the yeas and nays, h.r. 403 de novo. the first electronic vote will be conducted as a 15-minute vote. remaining electronic votes will be conducted as five-minute votes. the unfinished business is the vote on the motion of the gentleman from massachusetts, mr. limpling, to suspend the rules and pass h.r. 2470 on which the yeas and nays are ordered. the clerk will report the title of the bill. the clerk: h.r. 2470, a bill to designate the facility of the united states postal service located at 19190 cochran boulevard frnt in port charlotte, florida, as the "lieutenant commander roy h. boehm post office building. the eaker pro tempore: the question is will the house suspend the rules and pass the bill.

members will record their votes by electronic device. this will be a 15-minute vote. [captioning made possible by the national captioning institute, inc., in cooperation with the united states house of representatives. any use of the closed-captioned coverage of the house proceedings for political or commercial purposes is expressly prohibited by the u.s. house of representatives.]