qualified, at some of what happened on wall street, which, frankly, was not the fed's fault, even as some pundits say it was, including some people in the senate. the federal reserve is uniquely qualified intellectually to deal with this issue. and acting secretary geithner has put the responsibility for systemic risk in the right place. treasury runs it, the federal reserve administers it, and have the council of the various agencies to talk about it, and i like that part. there are other pieces of the recommendation that i am not as aware of that all begun, but if we sit there and don't do anything, i think we have done the country a disservice. .

we will leave it there. thank you for turning us. will go to the u.s. house of representatives.

their very presence or their memory may endow us with strength wrapped in gentleness, forebarnse revealed in practicality and a self-giving love which is a reflection of your creative life and goodness. may the fathers of this nation be the first and best teachers of their children, to find satisfaction and hard work, greatness and moral character and faith in powerful ways. may all fathers be blessed in their work, in their games, in sports, and in the joy of family life. this we ask of you, heavenly father, amen. the speaker pro tempore: the chair has examined the journal

of the last day's proceedings and announces to the house his approval thereof. pursuant to clause 1 of rule 1 the journal stands approved. for what purpose does the gentlewoman from virginia rise -- from north carolina seek recognition? ms. foxx: pursuant to clause 1 of rule 1, i demand a vote on agreeing to the speaker's approval of the journal. the speaker pro tempore: the question is on agreeing of the speaker's approval of the journal. those in favor say aye. those opposed, no. the ayes have it. the journal stands approved. ms. foxx: mr. 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, further proceedings on this question are postponed. the pledge of allegiance will be led by the gentlewoman from illinois, congresswoman halvorson. members in the gallery are encouraged to accompany the congresswoman. mrs. halvorson: i pledge allegiance to the flag of the united states of america and to the republic for which it stands, one nation under god, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.

the speaker pro tempore: the chair will entertain up to five requests for one-minute speeches on each side of the aisle. for what purpose does the gentlewoman from illinois rise? mrs. halvorson: mr. speaker, i ask unanimous consent to address the house for one minute. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, the gentlewoman is recognized. mrs. halvorson: mr. speaker, i rise today to express the urgent need to fix the coverage gap in medicare part d's prescription benefit plan, especially as we take up health care reform legislation this year. the coverage gap, better known as the doughnut hole, is getting worse each year. this gap is tied to health care costs which are increasing at a rate much faster than inflation. in fact, the cost floor people that fall into the doughnut hole are expected to more than double by 2016. in my state of illinois, 32% of

medicare part d beneficiaries fall into this gap and only a small fraction ever make it out. mr. speaker, in america no senior should have to choose between their meals and their medication. and if we don't solve this issue this situation will only continue to get worse. we must take the time to address this serious gap in coverage for our seniors. i look forward to working with my colleagues on this issue as we continue the health care reform debate. thank you, and i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from alabama, for what purpose do you rise? >> to address the house for one minute. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, so ordered. >> mr. speaker, today i rise to congratulate, pay tribute and to honor a great alabamian on the occasion of his 100th birthday, which will be this saturday, a milestone that very few individuals get to reach. fuller kimball was born on june 20, 1909 and one of 10 boys.

he was quarterback and captain of his local football team, as well as helping his family on the farm. he traveled across the country during the great depression and returned home to berry, alabama, then on to fayette, alabama. today he resides in tuscaloosa. mr. kimball served in the alabama state senate for the 12th district of alabama. and he also managed b.i.g. jim fullson's gubernatorial campaign in 1940. he served in the great state of alabama. until his retirement in 1984, he owned and operated fayco, which was located in fayette, alabama, which is in the district i am privileged to represent. he served on various civic and other organizations such as lions club, the fayette chamber of commerce, the alabama road builders association, just to name a few.

mr. kimball has made so many great contributions to alabama and our nation. it is an honor to pay tribute to this great alabamian and this great american. i am thankful to know mr. fuller kimball as an inspiring example to all of us. i look forward to having the benefit of his wise counsel for many years to come and i wish him a very happy birthday this saturday. i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman's time has expired. the gentleman from michigan, for what purpose do you rise, sir? mr. dingell: to address the house for one minute and to revise and extend my remarks. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, the gentleman is recognized for one minute. mr. dingell: mr. speaker, yesterday was a sorry day in the history of the house. repetitious, unnecessary, unwise votes set about to obviscate the business of this body was the order of the day. we set a record for the number of votes cast in a single day. but we also set a record for

irresponsible mischief yuss and infescatory behavior. the time of this institution is a public resource during which we are supposed to do the nation's business. we are supposed to conduct that business on the floor, in the committees and in our offices. no opportunity was made available for the members of this body to do that. the institution has not been helped by that behavior, nor has this reputation been helped. i say that if this kind of behavior persists we will fall lower in the respect of the american people as very well we should. yesterday was a sorry event. the business of the nation was obviscated. the necessary actions that needed to be taken on important concerns of the nation like health care, like the economy,

like the budget, like some 12 or 13 appropriations bills that need to be addressed were not done. there are hundreds of items upon which the committee and the congress could well be using its time. yesterday we could not because of willful, obviscatory and bad behavior by members of this institution. it's time we stop. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman's time has expired. for what purpose does the gentleman from texas rise? mr. poe: to address the house for one minute. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, the gentleman is recognized. mr. poe: mr. speaker, the justice department has ordered miranda rights to be read to terrorists captured on the battlefields. the administration is confusing constitutional rights of arrested criminal defendants in the america with acts of war by terrorists against the united states in foreign lands. miranda rights ordered to be given by the supreme court do not apply to the group of people who have a worldwide mission to murder in the name of religion who are captured by

our military in afghanistan. never mind, say it the administration. enemy war combatants must be told you have the right to remain silent, you have a right to a lawyer. if you cannot provide a lawyer we will provide one for you. and anything you say will be used against you. this new policy is misguided. never in history have captured war combatants overseas have been treated by such an overflow of privileges. they have been dealt with by our military, especially regarding interrogations. but now i guess we are changing all that, but that ought not to be. i guess next we will have a whole battalion of lawyers going into the battlefield to tell our troops if and when they can shoot back. have we gone a bit too far? and that's just the way it is. the speaker pro tempore: the time of the gentleman has expired. the gentleman from florida, for what purpose do you rise? >> to address the house for one minute and to revise and extend. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from florida is recognized for one minute. mr. hastings: we urgently phoenix to fix health care. every -- we urgently need to fix health care.

every day americans worry about not getting well but whether they can afford to get well. llions more wonder if they can afford routine care to stay well. premiums have doubled over the last nine years three times faster than wages, and the average american family already pays an extra $1,000 in premiums every year for a broken system that supports 46 million or more uninsured americans. we have the most expensive health care system in the world, spend almost 50% more per person on health care than the next most costly nation, but we are no healthier for it. we need a uniquely american solution that builds on the best of what works, to foster competition among private plans and to provide patients with quality care, ensure every american child is covered, help american live longer and

healthier lives, ensure that doctors and nurses get the information they need to provide you with the best individualized care. never again will coverage be denied if you allow that we go forward with this plan. never again have to make a life or job decision based on coverage. never let your family suffer financial catastrophic or bankruptcy. no is not the answer. the speaker pro tempore: the time of the gentleman has expired. the gentleman from colorado, for what purpose do you rise? >> ask permission to address the house for one minute. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized for one minute. >> mr. speaker, energy prices are a vital concern to all americans. as gasoline prices are edging up and as the economy is in a recession, we all need a policy of making energy affordable and available. oil shale is a promising source of energy for america's future. i'm holding in my hand a piece of oil shale from western colorado. my state, along with wyoming and utah, have an estimated quantity of $1 trillion, with a

t, barrels of oil products within our oil shale. unfortunately, this administration put oil shale development on hold almost as soon as it took office. this is unfortunate because we should not be importing oil products from the middle east if we have it here at home. on top of that the cap and tax policy that this administration is pushing will also drive up the cost of energy. mr. speaker, let's have an energy plan that uses american energy without needless taxes and costs piled on. thank you, and i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman's time has expired. the gentlewoman from florida, for what purpose do you rise? ms. wasserman schultz: unanimous consent to address the house for one minute. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, the gentlewoman is recognized for one minute. ms. wasserman schultz: thank you, mr. speaker. 47 million, 47 million is an absolutely unacceptable number of americans who go every single day without health insurance. who when they're sick they can't afford to go to the doctor which means that when

they do have an ability to access the health care system they have to wait until they are so sick that they use the emergency room as their primary access point which makes health care astro numberically more expense -- astronomically more expensive. when children are 5 years old, families don't have to wring their hands every day on how to pay for health care because it's universal. you go to kindergarten on the first day that you are 5 years old. that doesn't happen in america when you turn 5 years old and it comes to health care. parents all over the world have to worry when their child is sick whether or not they can take their child to the doctor. is their problem going to get worse? parents and families in america are going to have to worry go they continue to have their coverage if they don't have a job. they have to worry about getting coverage if they're sick. those are worries that is unacceptable in the most prosperous, most democratic nation in the world, and we must find a solution and create comprehensive health care reform for all americans. thank you.

i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the time of the gentlewoman has expired. the gentleman from south carolina, for what purpose do you rise? mr. wilson: mr. speaker, i ask unanimous consent to address the house for one minute. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized for one minute. mr. wilson: mr. speaker, democrats have a plan to use pay-as-you-go budgetary rules. you may remember how house democrats have often cited pay-go while simultaneously finding any and every opportunity to disregard it. the zeal to spend taxpayer dollars is just too much. this would account for the fact that since democrats have assumed control of congress the annual budget deficits have ballooned over 11 times. from $160 billion to $1.8 trillion. it is clear that pay-go as proposed by our democrat colleagues is not so much about limiting the size of government as it is paying for a larger and more intrusive big government. this is entirely against the fiscal spirit of responsibility because it means congress can continue to spend recklessly. as long as they find new and

burdensome ways to tax more american families. under this administration and their allies in congress, pay-as-you-go should be more correctly called tax as they spend. in conclusion, god bless our troops and we will never forget september 11 and the global war on terrorism. the speaker pro tempore: the time the gentleman has expired. for what purpose does the gentleman rise? >> to address the house for one minute. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized for one minute. >> today the house leadership will unveil a solution for health care reform, it will draw on noges like medicare and medicaid that will be improved significantly. it will say to employers if you like the health insurance you're providing employees, keep it, and we'll encourage more employers to provide for their employees. but for those americans who have no health insurance or have difficulty affording health insurance because they have to go out on the individual market or have a small group plan that becomes

expensive, they'll be able to buy cheaper health insurance, much more low-cost health insurance through what the federal government would provide. they'll be -- there'll be competition between public and private plans and that'll be our way of reducing costs. because what this plan will do primarily is reduce costs for most americans and at the same time make sure that every american has health insurance. i can't tell you how important that. it is so important for every american to know they can have quality, affordable health insurance. it awe -- a-- it allows them to have peace of mind and not have to worry if they have one job or another. thank you, mr. speaker. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman rise? >> to address the house for one minute. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. >> last night, the democrat controlled congress voted to -- would not allow amendments to

affect the spending. at a time when americans are tightening their belt the democrat controlled congress would not allow reductions in what it spends on itself. this is an outrage. the th congress wouldn't allow a amendment to be made in order to say, let's live on what we lived on last year, let's not increase spending for the united states. this is an outrage and should not be tolerated. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the time of the gentleman has expired. >> mr. speaker, by direction of the committee on rules, i call up house resolution 559 and ask for its immediate consideration. the speaker pro tempore: the

clerk will report the resolution. the clerk: house calendar number 674, house resolution 579. resolved, that upon the adoption of this resolution it shall be in order to consider in the house the bill h.r. 2918, making appropriations for the legislative branch for the fiscal year ending september 30, 2010, and for other purposes. all points of order against consideration of the bill are waived except those arising under clause 9 or 10 of rule 21. the bill shall be considered as read. all points of order against provisions in the bill for failure to comply with clause 2 of rule 21 are waived. the previous question shall be considered as ordered on the bill and any amendment thereto to final passage without intervening motion except, one, one hour of debate equally divided and controlled by the chair and ranking minority member of the committee on appropriations. two, the amendment printed in the report of the committee on rules accompanying this resolution, if offered by representative mccarthy of new

york or her designee, which shall be in order without intervention of any point of order except those arising under clause 9 or 10 of rule 21, shall be considered as read, shall be separately debatable for 10 minutes equally divided and controlled by the proponent and an opponent, and shall not be subject to a demand for a division of the question. and three, one motion to recommit with or without instructions. section 2, it shall be in order, any rule of the house to the contrary notwithstanding, to consider concurrent resolutions providing for the adjournment of the house and senate during the month of july. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from florida is recognized for one hour. mr. hastings: mr. speaker, for the purpose of debate only, i yield the customary 30 minutes to my friend, the gentlelady from north carolina, dr. foxx. all time yielded in consideration of the rule is for debate only. i ask unanimous consent that all members have five

legislative days within which to revise and extend their remarks and insert extraneous material into the record. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. mr. hastings: mr. speaker, i yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. hastings: mr. speaker, the resolution provides for consideration of h.r. 2918, the ledge lative -- legislative branch appropriations act of 2010 under a structured rule. mr. speaker, the legislative branch appropriations act provides $3.7 billion for key investments in the legislative branch, not including senate-related items for fiscal year 2010 is. including funding for the architect of the capitol, the congressional budget office, the government printing office, the capitol police, and the

open world program. this bill provides a pragmatic and fiscally responsible approach to funding our legislative branch. actually, spending is increased only by 7%, less than half of the 15% increase requested. the funding provided in this legislation will help us do our jobs better and faster. it increases funding for the congressional budget office by $1 million, making it easier for members to obtain pay-go analysis of their proposals, a vital service given our need for responsible government spending. this bill also allocates funds for a complete overhaul of the house of representatives' antiquated voting system, which after 33 years of good use has become increasingly unreliable.

further, this measure increases the members' representational allowance to ensure that we're able to adequately serve our districts and increases funding of standing and select committees by 3% to acome late -- accommodate the increased legislative and oversight work load typically seen in the second session. these funds will provide us with the resources necessary to carry out the sweeping legislative initiatives of president obama and democrats in congress and to better retain our most experienced and talented staff. in addition, this bill will also help protect and preserve the capitol complex. both from physical decay and from the security risks it obviously faces in this post-9/11 world. it includes $60 million to

establish a historic buildings revitalization trust fund in order to more evenly spread out the cost of large-scale historic building projects within the capitol complex, including the repair of the iconic capitol dome and the revitalization of the 100-year-old canon house building. it also provides an increase in funding of 6% for the capitol police and if i had my way, that would be more. they work day and night to ensure that the u.s. capitol complex is secure for not only members of congress, but for our staffs and the millions of visitors that come through each year. finally, this appropriations bill helps make the work of the legislative branch more

accessible to people throughout our nation and across the globe. i'm encouraged through this bill the appropriations committee has helped to ensure that all visitors touring the u.s. capitol have equal and adequate access, whether they be part of a tour, led by our talented c.v.c. tour guides, or by our hard working staff and interns. additionally, this bill increases funding by $40 million for the library of congress. an institution which not only provides a vital resource to congress, but also preserves a universal collection of knowledge, history, and creativity for current and future generations. $15 million of these funds will help modernize the library's information technology

infrastructure to make the library and its unique resources more widely available to congress and the broader public. mr. speaker, this legislative branch appropriation bill strikes a pragmatic balance between the growing demands upon this congress and the legislative branch and the economic realities that nation is facing. i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves. the gentlewoman from north carolina, for what purpose do you rise? ms. foxx: thank you, mr. speaker, i thank my colleague for yielding us time to discuss the rule. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is -- the gentlelady is recognized. ms. foxx: thank you. i yield myself such time as i may consume. we have a situation here demonstrated yesterday in terms of republican concern on how we're going to do business in

the house. yesterday, the democrats made in order only one amendment which had been offered to this rule. 20 total amendments were submitted 14rk by republicans, four by democrats, and two bipartisan. two years ago, they made three of 23 amendments in order which is three times as many as now. last year we didn't even consider appropriations bills on the floor so maybe an argument could be made that that was even worse, and even though the democrats were in charge last year, they blame republicanners in fact that we couldn't deal with the appropriations bills on the floor and the fact that there was a republican president. so -- but in 2006, the last year republicans were in the majority, we made all seven amendments submitted to the rules committee in order. that's the way it should be. we should be debating these bills on the floor.

earlier, our colleague from michigan implied that requiring debate and voting on issues before the house is dysfunctional. it is exactly what the people of this country have sent us here for. they want us to take positions on these issues and not hide behind them. we keep wondering what the democrats are afraid of, why do they not want amendments on the floor? they have a majority, a fairly large majority, but they refuse to debate these issues. i would now like to yield such time as he may consume to my colleague from nevada, mr. hiller. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. heller: thank you, mr. speaker. i want to thank my friend for yielding. i rise in opposition to this rule and the underlying bill which proposes a $300 million increase over last year for the operations of this house.

that's a $-- that's a 6.3% increase at a time most americans' budgets are shrinking. 53% of this goes to allowances which we use for operating our offices and keeping in touch with constituents. i'll be the first to tell you my office could use an m.r.a. increase. my district is several hundred thousand miles. i fly thousands of mile and drive thousands of miles. keeping in touch with thousands of nevadans takes a significant amount of funds, but i am always mindful of the fact that m.r.a. funds are taxpayer dollars by another name and i have a responsibility to use them responsibly. many of my constituents and yours are making do with less. we have a responsibility to maim