the speaker pro tempore: the house will be in order. the prayer will be offered by the chaplain, father coughlin. chaplain coughlin: lord, the summer solstice has already passed. so quietly and relentlessly daylight grows shorter. the full expression of family joy on the weekend holiday, or a brief summer vacation is abruptly ended with the news of a metro train crash. the bright light is suddenly dimmed when the cloud of fragile life passes by. lord, we lift up in prayer all those who died or were injured in yesterday's tragedy here in northeast, washington. be with their families, neighbors, and friends. as you restore confidence and

peace to the fragile systems of routine in a work-a-day world, lord, we molest you and praise you for all the good days and good -- we bless you and praise you for all the good days and good times. we try to hold on to as best we can because they carry us through the times that are not so good. lord of the ages, it is you who hold all together and oversee the seasons of everyone's life. even as summer days grow shorter. be with us now and forever. 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. the pledge of allegiance will be led by the gentleman from texas, congressman poe. mr. poe: please join me in the

pledge. 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 requests for one-minute speeches. for what purpose does the gentlewoman from arizona rise? >> request permission to address the house for one minute. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. mrs. kirkpatrick: mr. speaker, i rise in support of h.r. 2967, a bill i introduced to save 324 jobs in my district and save american taxpayers billions of of dollars. craft paper companies have abused a loophole in the

alternative fuels mixture tax credit to claim billions of dollars in subsidies with no benefit to the taxpayer. their gimmicks have not encouraged alternative fuel use. they are actually costing us jobs by recycling pipper mills which should be growing our economy. these millions like the catalyst paper mill in snowflake, arizona, cannot compete against rivals who claim federal subsidies, catalyst has been forced to let go more than a quarter of its workers and is at risk of shutting down entirely. this congress has a duty to restore fiscal responsibility and help keep folks at work. this bill will help save jobs and eliminate waste. i urge my colleagues to give it their support. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from texas rise? mr. poe: request permission to

address the house for one minute. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. mr. poe: mr. speaker, the turmoil continues in iran with the little man from the desert, president ahmadinejad, claiming victory in the apparent fraudulent presidential elections. believe it to the students of iran to continue to protest in spite of the government shootings of students and others who risk their lives for the human right to peaceably assemble and freedom of speech. backed by the government controlled press and the religious leaders, ahmadinejad is trying to quell the hundreds of thousands who say his claim to the imperial thrown of the presidency is a fraud. the sons of liberty and the daughters of democracy of iran who wish to exercise the right of free speech and freedom to assemble should resolve this drama peaceably in order to ensure their human rights. i hope our american policy would be morally and verbally supportive as stated by president kennedy years ago when he said, let every nation know whether it wishes us well

or ill we will pay any price, bear any burden, meet any hardpship, support any friend, oppose any foe, in order to assure the survival and success of liberty. and that's just the way it is. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman's time has expired. the chair lays before the house the communication. the clerk: the honorable the speaker, house of representatives. madam, pursuant to the permission granted in clause 2-h of rule 2 of the rules of the u.s. house of representatives, i have the honor to transmit a sealed envelope received from the white house on monday, june 22, 2009, at 5:29 p.m., and said to contain a message from the president whereby he smits a copy of a notice filed earlier with the federal register continuing the emergency with respect to the western balkans

first declared in executive order 13219 of june 22, 2001. with best wishes i am, signed, sincerely, lorraine c. miller, clerk of the house. the speaker pro tempore: the clerk will read the message. the clerk: to the congress of the united states, section 202-d of the national emergencies act provides for the automatic termination of a national emergency unless prior to the anniversary date of its declaration the president publishes in the federal register and transmits to the congress a notice stating that the emergency is to continue in effect beyond the anniversary date. in accordance with this provision i have sent to the federal register for publication the enclosed notice. stating that the western balkans emergency is to continue in effect beyond june 26, 2009. the crisis constituted by the actions of persons engaged in or assisting sponsoring or supporting i, extremist

violence in the republic of macedonia and elsewhere in the western balkans region or double i, acts obstructing implementation of the date and accords in bosnia or united nations security council resolution 1244 of june 101999 in kosovo that led to the declaration of a national emergency on june 26, twin, and executive order 13219 and to amendment of that order in executive order 13304 of may 28, 2009, has not been resolved. the acts of extremist violence and obstructionist activity outlined in executive order 13219 as amended are hostile to the u.s. interest and pose a continuing unusual and extraordinary let to the national security and foreign policy of the united states. for these reasons i have determined that it is necessary to continue the national emergency declared with respect to the western balkans and maintain in force the sackses

to respond to this threat. signed, barack obama, the white house, june 22, 2009. the speaker pro tempore: referred to the committee on foreign affairs and ordered printed. 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 incurs objection under clause 6 of rule 20. record votes on postponed questions will be taken after 6:30 p.m. today. for what purpose does the gentleman from california rise. mr. filner: mr. speaker, i move to suspend the rules and pass the bill s. 407. the speaker pro tempore: the clerk will report. the clerk will report the title of the bill. the clerk: senate 407, an act to amend title 38 united states

code to provide for an increase effective december 1, 2009, in the rates of compensation for veterans with service connected disabilities and the rates of dependency and indemnity compensation for the survivors of certain disabled veterans to codify increases in the rates of such compensation that were effective as of december 1, 2008, and for other purposes. the speaker pro tempore: pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from california, mr. filner, and the gentleman from arkansas, mr. boozman, each will control 20 minutes. the chair recognizes the gentleman from california. million filner: thank you, mr. speaker. this is the last week before the july 4 break, and we have a series of bills i think to suitably commemorate july 4 with bills that will really aid our veterans who have made july 4 possible. i rise in support of the veterans compensation cost of living adjustment act of 2009,

s. 407, which is a companion to the house bill h.r. 1533 which was introduced by one of our new members on the committee of veterans' affairs and sure to be one of our body's most productive members, mrs. kirkpatrick from arizona. i thank the gentlelady for her leadership on this important bill. the house leadership demonstrated its commitment to our nation's veterans, their families, and survivors by getting this bill to the floor after reporting from the committee on veterans' affairs and by getting us a companion bill sponsored by senator akaka to the floor shortly after receipt in the house. as it has done every year since 1976, congress with the passage of this measure directs the secretary of veterans' affairs to increase the rates of basic compensation for disabled veterans and the rates of dependency and indemnity compensation referred to usually as d.i.c. to their survivors and dependents along

with other benefits in order to keep pace with the rising cost of living. this disability cola would become effective on december 1 of this year and will be equal to that provided on an annual basis to social security recipients. last year the cola was set at 5.8%, an increase i'm sure we'd all agree was needed as the financial crush of the recession closed in on many of our disabled veterans' households. while there's likely to be a lesser percentage for increase this year, the measure will now move to the president's desk for his signature. enactment ensures that veterans get a matching increase to the social security cola on that date. mr. speaker, this bill will benefit each of the nearly three million disabled veterans and their survivors, whether from the world war i era to the current conflicts in iraq and afghanistan. we would be derelict in our duty if we failed to guarantee those who sacrificed so much for our country reef benefits that keep pace with their

needs. we fund the war and let's be sure we fund the warrior and his family or her family and the survivors. i urge my colleagues to support passage of the veterans compensation cost of living adjustment act, s. 407, without delay and i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves the balance of his time. the gentleman from arkansas. million boozman: i yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. mr. boozman: i agree with the chairman in the sense that this is the perfect time of the year to bring these bills forward. these are excellent bills that will help our veterans and i rise in strong support of s. 407, the veterans compensation cost of living act of 2009. i would like to thank my house colleagues, mr. hall of new york, chairman of the disability assistance and memorial affairs subcommittee, and pln lamborn of colorado, the -- mr. lamborn of colorado, as well as the house bill sponsor, mrs. kirkpatrick of arizona, for their leadership

on house bill 1513 which passed on the 30th of march, 2009. mr. speaker, s. 407 would increase effective as of december 1, 2009, the rates of compensation for veterans with service connected disabilities and the rates of dependency and indemnity compensation for the survivors of certain disabled veterans. . it includes veterans disability compensation, clothing allowance, dependency and indemocratnyity compensation to surviving spouses and children. mr. speaker, this is an important annual authorization which provides much-needed assistance to our nation's veterans and i encourage all my colleagues to support the bill and with that, i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves. the gentleman from california.

mr. filner: does the gentleman have further speakers? mr. boozman: no, sir. mr. filner: we have no further speakers. mr. boozman: i'd like to thank john hall and ranking leb doug lamb born on these issues and committee chairman bob filner and ranking member buyer for moving this forward for consideration. i urge my colleagues to support s. 407 and yield back the balance of of -- of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from california. mr. filner: i ask unanimous consent in which all members have -- for all members to have five legislative days to revise and extend. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. mr. filner: i urge support of s. 407 and yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. the question is will the house suspend the rules and pass senate 407. those in favor say aye.

those opposed, no. in the opinion of the chair, 2/3 being in the affirmative, the bill is passed and without objection, the motion to reconsider is laid upon the disable. -- is laid upon the table. mr. boozman: i ask for the yeas and nays. the speaker pro tempore: the yeas and nays are requested. those favoring 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, all further proceedings on this are postponed. for what purpose does the gentleman rise? mr. filner: i move to pass the -- to pass the bill h.r. 11725s amended. the speaker pro tempore: the clerk will report the title. h.r. 1172, a bill to direct the sec are retear of veterans affairs to include on the

internet website of the department of veterans affairs a list of organizations that provide scholarships for veterans and their survivors. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from california, mr. filner and the gentleman, mr. boozman, each will control 20 minutes. the gentleman from california. mr. filner: i thank my colleague mr. boozman for introducing and for his bipartisan leadership working as the leading member of the subcommittee working with stephanie herseth sandlin of south dakota. we thank mr. boozman for his efforts in that regard. as many veterans service organizations have testified to our committee, the lack of braham awareness continues to be a major barrier preventing veterans from accessing programs they have earned.

this legislation provides a common sense solution to provide useful scholarship information to our nation's veterans and their dependents, providing a list of all available scholarships on the v.a. website will allow veterans advocates to reach a larger population and simplify the search for veterans and their families. i'm confident the veterans will come to rely on this tool for information on how to supplement their education benefits offered by the v.a. i thank congressman boozman for introducing this bill and urge support of the bill. i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from arkansas. mr. boozman: i rise in support of h.r. 177 -- 1172, to direct the secretary of veterans affairs to include in the internet website of the department of veterans affairs a list of organizations that provide scholarships to

veterans and their survivors. beginning with the world war ii g.i. bill, the department of veterans affairs has administered education programs designed to provide a wide range of education and training opportunities to veterans. over the year that mission expanded to include veterans, dependent, and survivors. since world war ii, the number of degree-granting institutions and non-degree training schools has significantly increased. according to the u.s. department of education, there are about 4,314 degree-granting institutions and about 2,222 nondegree training entities that qualify for title four education assistance programs. each of these may also offer nonfederal financial aid directly or indirectly to veterans through association with organizations such as foundations, but it is the very

expansion of these sources that makes it imperative to assist veterans in accessing scholarship information. with the proliferation of school the rapidly increasing cost of education and training, and the sources of potential financial assistance for veterans, there is a need for centralized sources of financial assistance where a veteran can find links to at least some of the aid available. for example, an internet search for veterans' scholarships yielded 8,570 sources of information. mr. speaker, i believe the v.a. should also include sources of financial assistance for dependents and survivors. if proproviders of such financial aid notify the v.a. of such assistance. during the legislative hearing on h.r. 1172, v.a. expressed concerned about the bill. in response to their concerns, in cooperation with chairwoman

herseth sandlin on the subcommittee on economic opportunity, the committee amend the bill to better define the bill's objectives and include appropriate limitations on the v.a.'s role in providing scholarship information to veterans. i appreciate the opportunity to work in a bipartisan cooperation in making these changes. the substitute states that v.a. shall make reasonable efforts to notify schools and appropriate entities such as foundations of the opportunity to be linked by the v.a. website as a provider of scholarships for veterans. the bill, as amended, also requires v.a. to require statements on its website noting that v.a. does not endorse or guarantee any assistance offered by an entity on the website, nor should the individual consider the list to be all-inclusive. finally, it sets an effective date of june 1, 2010, to allow

the v.a. to consen trailt on getting the post 9/11 g.i. bill up and running, which is so important. i think this will bill will help veterans identify scholarships spended for their quse. i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from california. mr. filner: i'd like to recognize the gentlelady from south dakota for as much time as she may consume and thank her for her incredible leadership as chair on the subcommittee of economic opportunity. lots of bills have come forward from this committee and will continue to do so ms. sandelin. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. ms. herseth sandlin: i thank the gentleman for yielding and for his kind words in support of the work of the subcommittee on economic opportunity and i rise today in strong support of h.r. 1172 as amended. i would like to thank the chairman, mr. filner, ranking

member buyer and the sponsor of the bill, mr. boozman for their leadership and bipartisan support of this bill which the committee passed on june 10. as mr. boozman discussed this legislation directs the secretary of the v.a. to include a list of organizations that provide scholarships to veterans and their survivors on its websites. this will increase educational opportunities to veterans and their survivors by providing an easy to find portal to this information. a key part of our service to veterans is properly managing and providing the education benefits they have earned through their service. h.r. 1172 helps fulfill this responsibility and will give veterans and their dependents easier act stose scholarships for which they're eligible. i am pleased to work with ranking member boozman in a

bipartisan manner to improve the bill. we have held sere rose of hear thonings post-9/11 g.i. bill and the vocational rehabilitation service. i appreciate mr. boozman's efforts on this and i'm pleased to support his bill today. i urge all my colleagues to support this legislation. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman yields back. the gentleman from arkansas. mr. boozman: thank you, mr. speaker. i would like to again extend my thanks to subcommittee on economic opportunity chairwoman, stephanie herseth sandlin for her assistance on this bill and also for her leadership in so many ways. stephanie has done a tremendous job. again, i would also like to thank the full committee chairman, bob filner, ranking member steve buyer and the committee staff on both sides that have worked hard on this. mr. speaker, i ask all my colleagues to support h.r. 117 as amended and urge its immediate passage.

with that, having no further speakers, i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. the gentleman from california. mr. filner: i ask unanimous consent that all members have five legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on h.r. 1172 as amended. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. mr. filner: i urge my colleagues to support h.r. 1172 and i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. the question is will the house suspend the rules and pass the bill h.r. 1172 as amended. those in favor say aye. those opposed, no. in the opinion of the chair, 2/3 being in the affirmative, the bill is passed. mr. boozman: i ask for 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 risenen, the yeas and nays are

ordered. pursuant to clause 8 of rule 20 and the chair's prior announcement, further proceedings on this measure will be postponed. for what purpose does the gentleman from california rise? mr. filner: i move to suspend the rules and pass the bill h.r. 1016 as amended. the speaker pro tempore: the clerk will report the title of the bill. the clerk: union calendar number 87, h.r. 1016 a bill to amend title 38, united states code to provide advance appropriations authority for certain medical care accounts of the department of veterans affairs and for other purposes. the speaker pro tempore: pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from california, mr. filner, and the gentleman from arkansas, mr. boozman, will each control 20 minutes. the chair recognizes the gentleman from california. mr. boozman: i yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. mr. boozman: this is undoubtedly one of the most significant bills that this congress will pass in this or any other session. the veterans health care budget reform and franz parentcy act

was introduced in february and this bipartisan measure is a response to years of chronic underfunding of the v.a. medical care system. during the last two decades, the v.a. budget has been in place at the start of the fiscal year barely four times. we all feel this delay in providing vital funding put the provision of health care to veterans at a risk and hampers the v.a.'s ability to plan for health care expenditures and hire needed professionals and plan needed construction. nine groups form formed a partnership for veteran health care reform. these groups included amvets, veterans of foreign wars and the vietnam veterans of america. to advocate for a v.a. health care budget that's sufficient, timely, and predictable. these groups put forward the

idea that resources for v.a. health care should be provided through advanced appropriations so that when, for example, the fiscal year starts on october 1, the v.a. will know what its budget is a year in advance. that's what happens when 1016 passes. it will ensure the v.a. can best plan and utilize taxpayer dollars to provide veterans with the health care they herbed and ke serve. it provides the framework with which we can realize advanced appropriations for v.a. medical care accounts. as part of the annual budget sub misering -- submission, the president will be required to su submit a request for certain v.a. accounts for the fiscal year following the year for which the intunlt submitted. for example, for the 2012 budget -- for the 2011 budget,