control 20 minutes. the chair recognizes the gentleman from california. mr. filner: mr. speaker, i yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. filner: this naming bill comes to us from the gentleman from tennessee, mr. duncan. he's a great supporter of veterans in tennessee and this nation and i'm going to leave it to him to explain what mr. tallent has done to deserve this honor and would reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from california reserves the balance of his time. the gentleman from arkansas. mr. boozman: i yield as much time as he might consume to the distinguished gentleman from tennessee, mr. duncan. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized for as much time as he may consume. mr. duncan: this is a bill to name the veterans' outpatient colinnish -- veterans' affairs outpatient clinic in tennessee as the william c. tallent outpatient clinic. i'd like to thank mr. boozman and mr. filner for bringing this bill to the floor today

and their assistance and the help of their staff in regards to this bill. in east tennessee, mr. speaker, mr. is perhaps no person better known for devotion to area veterans than bill tallent. while the story of his service in world war ii reads like a hollywood script, his lifelong dedication to fellow veterans, his humble demeanor and his career as a public servant make him the perfect candidate for the naming of the veterans' outpatient clinic in knoxville. following his capture by the nazis during the battle of the bulge, mr. tallent spent six months as a prisoner of war. during his capture, one lieutenant lined him and his fellow soldiers up against a wall and ordered their execution. but through the grace of god, a fellow soldier persuaded the general to spare them and instead ship them to a prisoner of war camp. mr. tallent survived long enough to engineer an escape from this prisoner of war camp

six months later with one other soldier, the only one willing execution if captured. as bill tallent made his way across germany wearing at that timered clothes and sleeping in grave yards at night to avoid nazi groups, mr. tallent and his fellow soldier served searched for the american frontline. one day while on a scavenger trip, a buick wearing an american general came speeding down the street. bill tallent jumped in front of the car and gave a salute. he was rescued. his rescue embd him two purple heart and one bronze star. while bill tallent's prisoner of war story is legendary, so is his service to veterans. mr. tallent founded the smokey mountain chapter of the next prisoners of war while he served as its commander. during his tenure he helped compile the prisoner of war stories of other members and gave the public licksation to the knox -- publication to the

knox county public library. he has dedicated himself to veterans and to this country. he was appointed by the governor to serve on the veterans' administration policy board while he was -- brought a library to the town. he served as commander of the military order of the purple heart, chapter 356, member of the veterans of foreign wars chapter 173, and member of the disabled american veterans, chapter 26. in addition to his service to veterans, mr. tallent devoted his professional career to the public good, serving as knox county commissioner of finance from 1953 to 1980. being re-elected to that position several times. mr. speaker, there is perhaps no greater sacrifice that an american can make than serving his country during a time of war. bill tallent not only answered

that call but did so with courage and humility. in 2003, he told the following to my hometown newspaper, "the knoxville news sent national," i would not go through what i went through again if you paid me $1 million to do it, but i would do the same thing again without compensation just for the privilege of living as a free american. mr. speaker, i think we can all agree we need more bill tallents in this world. i appreciate this opportunity to honor bill tallent and this country is a better place today because of him and his service to this country. and i urge my colleagues to support this legislation to name the veterans outpatient clinic in knoxville, tennessee, as the william c. tallent veterans' affairs outpatient clinic. and i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. the gentleman from california. mr. filner: mr. speaker, i have no further speakers and i am prepared to yield back.

the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from arkansas. mr. boozman: thank you, mr. speaker. i ask unanimous consent to put a statement in the record. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. mr. boozman: thank you. mr. speaker, we've all seen the old world war ii movies where the soldier barely escapes death and captivity through the valiant act of others. william c. tallent was one of those true american heroes. serving part of the 28th infantry division in world war ii. plazz duncan said, he was captured and -- as mr. duncan said, he was captured and almost executed. mr. tallent spent six months in captivity at a p.o.w. camp before escaping with another american soldier, willing to be executed if captured by the germans. for his bravery, determination and sacrifice during the war, bill tallent, who was twice wounded, was awarded two purple hearts and a bronze star. naming the v.a. outpatient clinic in knoxville, tennessee, as the william c. tallent

department of veterans' affairs outpatient clinic is something great for him. i appreciate mr. duncan for bringing this forward and urge my fellow members to support it. we have one additional speaker, mr. chairman. i yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from georgia, mr. broun. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from georgia is recognized. mr. broun: i thank the gentleman for yielding. i rise in support of this bill, and i agree with my good friend, jimmy duncan from tennessee. we need more people in this country serving this nation. as i spoke earlier, i think we are doing a tremendous disservice to our veterans in this country by not fulfilling the promises that we've made to them. in the way we can get more people into the military, the way we can get more folks, good

people who will be willing to serve our nation as to be able to fulfill the promises that we give them on enlistment or on commissioning, and we're not doing that, mr. speaker. we're not fulfilling those promises. we're not giving the people the kind of health care that they so desperately need. and we're certainly not helping their spouses because we are not giving them the health care financing that they need either. so, mr. speaker, i rise today not only in support of this bill to name this facility in knoxville after this hero, but we have to remember the heroes that in iraq and afghanistan -- that are in iraq and afghanistan today. those heroes that i see at the v.a. hospital in augusta georgia, charlie norwood v.a. midcal center. those heroes i see at the eisenhower medical center in fort gordon, georgia. those heroes that have lost a leg or an arm. those heroes who want to go

back to their units in theater to continue to fight for our freedom. we cannot turn our back upon those heroes just like we cannot turn our back upon the past here owes. -- heroes. mr. speaker, i think it's a travesty the way this government has treated our veterans. we are not doing them right. it verges on criminal because we have broken our promises, and he -- it verges on criminal because we have broken our promises. and i will do everything i can supporting my veterans in my 10th congressional district in georgia. as a physician, i understand their medical needs. i will do everything i can as a congressman from the 10th district of georgia, to make sure that our veterans have all of the promises made to them fulfilled. this government has broken promises, continues to break promises and it's got to stop. and i'll do everything i can to fulfill those promises. i thank the gentleman for

yielding, and i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. the gentleman from arkansas. mr. boozman: i would before yielding back would like again thank the gentleman from tennessee, mr. duncan, for bringing forward this really very nice and very timely recognition of mr. tallent. i urge all of my colleagues to support the -- this bill and with that i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from arkansas yields back the baffle his time. the gentleman from california. mr. filner: mr. speaker, i ask unanimous consent that all members may have five legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on h.r. 402. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. mr. filner: i thank mr. duncan for bringing us this wonderful story of bill tallent and urge my colleagues to unanimously support h.r. 402, and i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the question is will the house suspend the rules and pass h.r. 402. all those in favor say aye. all those opposed, no. in the opinion of the chair, 2/3 having responded in the affirmative, the rules are

suspended, the bill -- mr. broun: mr. speaker, i request the yeas and nays. the speaker pro tempore: the yeas and nays are requested. those in support of the request for a recorded vote will rise and be counted. a sufficient number having arisen, 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 gentlewoman from the district of columbia rise? ms. norton: mr. speaker, i move that the house suspend the rules and agree to house resolution 612. the speaker pro tempore: the clerk will report the title of the resolution. the clerk: house resolution 612, resolution expressing the profound sympathies of the house of representatives for the victims of the tragic metrorail accident on monday, june 22, 2009, and for their

families, friends, and associates. the speaker pro tempore: pursuant to the rule, the gentlewoman from the district of columbia, ms. norton, and the gentleman from georgia, mr. westmoreland, each will control 20 minutes. the chair recognizes the gentlewoman from the district of columbia. ms. norton: mr. speaker, i ask unanimous consent that all members may have five legislative days to revise and extend their remarks. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. ms. norton: mr. speaker, i yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman is recognized. ms. norton: i introduced house resolution 612 on july 7, with members of the national capital region delegation as well as others in the house. it is with a heavy heart that i call up for consideration house resolution 612, which expresses the profound sympathies of the house of representatives for the victims of the tragic red line metrorail accident on june 22, 2009, and for their families and friends and associates and also recognizes the dozens of people who were

injured. i appreciate the work and courtesy of chairman ed towns, ranking member darrell issa, chairman stephen lynch and ranking member jason chaffetz for bringing up this -- bringing forward this resolution and for seeing to it that the resolution was marked up at the earliest markup meeting of the committee on oversight and government reform. let us begin, mr. speaker, by allowing each of us to take a moment on the floor of the house today to remember the nine people who were lost as a result of this tragic accident. i ask for a moment. thank you, mr. speaker. seven of the nine were from the

district of columbia. one was from maryland and another was from virginia. marcia fudge -- mary doolittle of the district served the american nurses association by spread spreding its work globally. veronica dubose of the district was a devoted mother of two who was on her way to nursing class. ana fernandez of high it's aville worked tirelessly often working more than one job. dennis hawkins of the district was on his way to the district to teach vacation bible school at bethesda baptist church. lavonda "nikki" king was a young mother who looked forward to opening her own beauty salon that was already plan to occur. cameron williams of the district was headed to his nighttime maintenance job.

i personally knew only major general daste f. whorley recently retired as commander of the d.c. national guard and his wife, ann. general who arely was commander of the -- whorley was commander at andrews air force base who rose to head the d.c. national guard itself. the general was especially devoted to his troops and to the children of the city initiated programs for both. ann whorley, herself a professional, was a force in the major general's life and in his work. i thank the appropriations committee for honoring my request to have a d.c. tuition bill named for the general who was the first to bring this concern to me for introduction, and i will soon seek a proper authorization in peanding bill.

jeanice mcmillan, finally, was the operator of train 112. all of the available evidence shows that ms. mcmillan did everything within her power to avert the accident. ms. mcmillan worked herself up the metro workplace ladder to recognize her goal of sending her only son to college. mr. speaker, the loss of precious lives that resulted from the june 22 accident touched their families uniquely and tragically. however, i also ask the house to remember these families who share the washington metropolitan area transit authority system with several hundred thousand federal employees and with our own house and senate congressional staff. today, let us also share with those who lost their lives as well as with those who were injured.

our thoughts and prayers and our deep determination to do all that we can to assure improved safety for all. i urge adoption of house resolution 612 and reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from georgia. mr. westmoreland: thank you, mr. speaker. i yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. westmoreland: i rise in support of russ hose lution 612, expressing the profound sympathies of the house of representatives for the victims of the tragic metrorail accident on monday, june 22, 2009, and for their family, friends, and associates. today, we as a body express our profound sympathy and support for the victims of this most serious and worst accident in metro's history. a train heading toward fort titan on the red line slammed into an idling train in front

of it, killed nine people and injured nearly 80 others. the crash occurred at approximately 4:59 p.m. we are greatly saddened by this unnecessary tragedy and senseless loss of life but our grief cannot compare to the family and friends who lost loved ones that day. today we extend our sympathies to those who were injure the metro riders were from all walks of life, a reflection of our nation's capital and its residence. as we express our sympathy for the victims, i would like to commend the regional emergency personnel who responded to the accident and did their jobs with confidence and compassion. i would also like to recognize the heroism of the other train passengers who helped to fe those who were trapped, fashion tourniquets, and comforted the injured. in addition to the death and injury of the victims, there's been tremendous damage done to the morale of metro riders and

to mote roe's reputation. a recent "washington post" edtorial commented on the crash as having shattered many riders' assumptions about the safety of the system. clearly, there is much work to be done to ensure nothing like this terrible accident happens again. today in this house, it is time we take a moment to honor and express our profound sympathy for the victims of the tragic metrorail accident of june 22 and their families, friends, and associates. i urge my colleagues to join me in expressing our sympathies on this day and by passing house resolution 612 and i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman from the district of columbia. ms. norton: i'm pleased to yield to majority leader mr. hoyer of maryland who has led the delegation on matters pertaining to the metro and especially after this accident.

i yield the gentleman one minute. the speaker pro tempore: the majority leader is recognized. mr. hoyer: thank you, mr. speaker. i thank the chairlady, my colleague and friend, eleanor holmes norton. i thank mr. westmoreland for helping this legislation come to the floor. today the house pauses in solemn remembrance of the nine men and women who lost their live whence two metro trains collided on june 22. it was, as has been said, the deadliest crash in metro's history. those whose lives were lost were a cross section of our washington region. they never asked or expected to be memorialized together but they were brought together in tragedy. together we can say their names. mary doolittle, 59 years of age of washington, d.c.

ana fernandez, of my district. dennis hawkins, 64 years of age of course washington, d.c. lavanda, nicknamed nikki, king, 23 years old, of washington, d.c. veronica dubose, 29 years old, also of washington, d.c. cameron williams, 36 years of age, also of washington. major general david f. wherley, 62 years of age, and his wife, ann, 62 years of age. both of washington, d.c. and lastly, jeanice mcmillan, 42 queers of age, of springfield, virginia. ms. norton mentioned her activity and the

professionalism with which she carried out her duties. it is clear that what happened was a computer failure or line failure, some failure, which was supposed to automatically notify the train that was moving that there was a train stopped in front of it. that mechanism failed. today, nine families are incomplete. there are nine fresh wounds that will be very slow in healing. nothing, nothing, of course, can reverse those deaths. but we must learn from them. and we must act to prevent such tragedies in the future. on a practical level we must ensure that funding is sufficient to accomplish that objective. on a personal level we can choose to take from this reminder of the fragility and uncertainty of our own lives and to act on that knowledge every day. on june 22, we lost nine

irreplaceable men and women. may we honor their memories by acting to prevent a future tragedy and by instilling confidence in the safety of america's subway. i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. the gentleman from georgia. mr. westmoreland: i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman from the district of columbia. ms. norton: mr. speaker, i have no further speakers, but i'd like to continue to reserve for the moment. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman from the district of columbia reserves. the gentleman from georgia. mr. westmoreland: i have no speakers, i'll yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. ms. norton: mr. speaker, again let me urge my colleagues in supporting h.res. 612 and i 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 612? those in favor say aye. those opposed, no. in the opinion of the chair, 2/3 being in the affirmative, the rules are suspended, relose lution -- >> mr. speaker. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from georgia rise? mr. broun: i request the yeas and nays. the speaker pro tempore: all those in favor of faking the 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 9 and the chair's prior announcement, further proceed thongs motion will be postponed. for what purpose does the gentlewoman rise? ms. norton: i move that the house suspend the rules and agree to house resolution 469. the chair: the clerk -- the speaker pro tempore: the clerk will report the title. the clerk: house resolution

469, honoring the life of wayman lawrence tisdale and expressing condolences of the house of representatives on his passing. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman from the district of columbia, ms. norton, and the gentleman from georgia, will each control 30 minutes. ms. norton: i yield myself such time as i may consume. on behalf of the committee on government and oversight reform, i'm pleased to present h.res. 469 for conversation, honoring the life of wayman lawrence tisdale and expressing our sincere condolences on his passing. this was introduced by representative cole of oklahoma on may 21, 2009, and reported out by the oversight committee by unanimous consent on june 18, 2009. this resolution enjoys the bipartisan support of over 50

members of congress. born in fort worth, texas, on june 9, 1964, wayman tisdale grew up in tulsa, oklahoma, where he developed his dual affections for the sport of basketball and what he considered his first love, music. notably, while he was considered one of the most heavily recruited high school basketball players in the nation he always continued to play bass guitar during morning services at his father's tulsa church. wayman subs quebtly accepted a basketball scholarship from the university of oklahoma, where he was a three-time all-american from 1983 to 1985, including his freshman year, marking the first time a freshman has been named as a first-team all-american since freshmen were athroud play the game in the 1971-1972 season. dur during his collegiate career with the university of

oklahoma sooners, wayman was also honored as big eight conference player of the year for three consecutive seasons and still holds oklahoma's career record with 2,661 points and career rebounding record with 1,048 rebounds. in addition, he remained devoted to music as he continued to play bass guitar at sunday services in tulsa and even played in the oklahoma sooners band. in honor of his remarkable achievements as a sooner, wayman, in 1997, became the first player in any sport to have his jersey number, number 223, retired by the university of oklahoma, and in april of 2009, was inducted into the national collegiate basketball hall of fame. prior to his selection as a second overall pick in the 1995

nba draft by the indiana pacers, wayman honorably represented his country as a member of the 1984 u.s. olympic basketball team, which won the gold medal in los angeles. he then embarked on an impressive 12 season professional basketball career as a power forward and center with the pacers, ethe sacramento kings, and the phoenix suns. upon his retirement from the nba in 1997, wayman continued to develop his musical talent and subsequently became an award-winning contemporary jazz musician. wayman had launched his professional music career with a 1995 release of his jazz album "power forward," which reached number four on billboard's contemporary jazz album charts. he subsequently released seven additional jazz albums, all of which reached the top 10 on

billboard's contemporary jads albums chart, including three album this is a went to number one. in addition to his success on the basketball court and his influence on jazz music, he'll be equally remembered for his exceptional character, positivity, and heart. as noted by his former indiana pacers teammate, reggie miller, wayman, quote, was the nicest man in the world with the biggest heart and an even bigger smile. i thank him for befriending me and showing me there's more to life than just basketball. regrettably, wayman lawrence tisdale passed away on may 15, 2009, at the young age of 44. let us honor this exceptional athlete, musician, and man through the passage of h.res. 469. i urge my colleagues to join me in supporting this resolution and reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman reserves. the gentleman from georgia.

mr. westmoreland: thank you, mr. speaker. i yield as much time as he may consume to my distinguished colleague, my friend, and the author of this resolution from the state of oklahoma, mr. cole. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. cole: thank you, and i thank the gentleman for yielding. mr. speaker, i rise today in support of this bill to honor a great american and a great oklahoman, wayman lawrenceties tisdale. i'd -- lawrence tisdale. as the gentlelady from the district of columbia aptly noted, wayman laurns tisdale was an -- lawrence tisdale was an all-star basketball player and brilliant jazz musician. he was not only an exceptional athlete and musician he brought a positive spirit to everything he did and should serve as a role model to all americans. even when he faced personal adversity he maintained an optimistic attitude and brought joy to those around him.

wayman tisdale was raised in tulsa, oklahoma, and the youngest of six children of a distinguished baptist minister and a loving wife. at 6'9", he excelled at basketball at booker t. washington high school, where he was named oklahoma's only mcdonald all-american and was named converse national high school player of the year. though tisdale had many scholarship offers he chose to remain close to home and attend the university of oklahoma in norman. after arriving at the university of oklahoma, tisdale quickly distinguished himself as one of the greatest basketball players the school has ever seen. in his three-year college career, he restheaved honor of being named big eight player of the year in 1983, 1984, and 1985. mr. speaker, he was also named to the all-american team three times in three years while at the university of oklahoma. tisdale averaged 25.6 points a

game and 10-.1 rebounds a contest during his career with the sooners. i still holds oklahoma's career records for points and rebounds. he owns the game's single game scoring mark for points per game, free throws and three-points attemptnd and made. he was part of the olympic game in 1984 and was the number two nba draft pick in 1986. while in the nba, mr. speaker, wayman tisdale played with the indiana pacers, the sacramento kicks and the phoenix suns scoring more than 12,800 points and pulling down more than 5,000 rebounds in a 12-year profession career. on november 26 -- excuse me -- 22, 2009, wayman tisdale will be formerly inducted in the nba

hall of fame. mr. tisdale distinguished himself as a jazz musician. as the son of a baptist minister, he became intrigued by the bass guitarist at his father's church and began teaching himself guitar and bass. he recorded and released eight albums of jazz, one reached number one in billboard's top 10, another reached number four on the jazz contemporary jazz chart. he collaborated with some of the most popular musicians in smooth jazz, including brian culberson, kirk weland, jonathan butler and ever at heart. in 2002, wayman received the distinction of the bassist of the year in the national smooth jazz awards. though tisdale was a remarkably talented basketball player and musician, it's perhaps his positive spirit that

distinguished him above all else. mr. speaker, in my home state of oklahoma, we're justly proud of roy rogers who liked to say he never met a man he didn't like. i can't testify as to whether that was true of mr. tisdale or not, but i'm certain that mr. tisdale never met a man who didn't like him. friends and relatives have noted that wayman is always upbeat and had a remarkable ability to smile anybody he met. former coaches and players have said that tisdale was able to turn the national spotlight on the university of oklahoma basketball program, not only by his incredible talent on the court but by his positive spirit and sheer charisma as a player and a person. our governor brad henry referred to him, quote, one of the most inspirational people i have ever known. fellow olympic team member and friend sam perkins said tisdale

was, quote, a real friend that would do just about anything for you. in 2007 wayman tisdale was diagnosed with bone cancer which ultimately resulted in the removal of part of his leg. during this ordeal tisdale had a positive spirit, which serves as an example for all americans and those that struggles with hardships and disease. when referring to his battle with cancer he said, quote, you don't change because things come in your life. you get better because things come in your life. tragically mr. tisdale passed away due to complications from cancer on may 15, 2009. despite his personal struggles, tisdale excelled at two separate careers. his strong spirit and his -- the positive attitude that he brought to everything he did should serve as an inspiration to everyone. it's only fitting that congress should pay tribute to this outstanding american. again, i urge the passage of h.r. 469, and i i yield to

yeel. -- and i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. the gentlewoman from the district of columbia. ms. norton: mr. speaker, i yield two minutes to my friend and regional member, mr. connelly of virginia. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from virginia is recognized for two minutes. the speaker pro tempore: thank you, mr. speaker. and i thank the gentlewoman from the district of columbia. i rise today to recognize the nine individuals who perished in the june 22 metrorail crash on the red line and pray we'll never have to experience such a tragedy again. one of those individuals was my constituent, jeanice mcmillan, springfield, virginia. she was the operator of the train and she took heroic measures to try to have manual override on an automatic system that apparently failed to detect a stationary train in front of her. her efforts saved lives, and in the course of her heroic efforts she, of course, sacrificed her own. her memory is an important

memory and it needs to be honored here in the united states congress, along with the other victims of that tragedy. hopefully the measures we're going to undertake this next week will go a long way of mitigating the possibility of such tragedy of occurring in the system. metro's important to metropolitan washington. it's important to the nation's capital. it is america's subway. we need to invest to it and in the name and memory of my constituent, jeanice mcmillan, and the other victims of that tragedy on june 22, i would hope we'll take such action soon. i'll ask that the full extend of my remarks be entered into the record. i thank the gentlelady for yielding and i yield back to her. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. the gentleman from georgia. mr. westmoreland: i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from georgia reserves his time. the gentlewoman from the district of columbia. ms. norton: mr. speaker, i have no further speakers. i'm prepared to reserve. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman from the district

of columbia reserves the balance of her time. the gentleman from georgia. mr. westmoreland: thank you, mr. speaker. and i urge all the members to support the passage of h.res. 469, and i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from georgia yields back the balance of his time. the gentlewoman from the district of columbia. ms. norton: mr. speaker, i strongly urge my colleagues to join me in supporting h.res. 469, and yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman yields back the balance of her time. the question is will the house suspend the rules and agree to house resolution 469. all those in favor say aye. all those opposed, no. in the opinion of the chair, 2/3 having responded in the affirmative, the rules are suspended -- for what purpose does the gentleman from georgia rise? mr. broun: 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 arisen, 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. ms. norton: mr. speaker. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentlewoman from california rise? ms. waters: mr. speaker, i move that the house suspend the rules and agree to house resolution 476 as amended. the speaker pro tempore: the clerk will report the title of the resolution. the clerk: house resolution 476, resolution celebrating the goals and ideals of black music month. the speaker pro tempore: pursuant to the rule, the gentlewoman from california, ms. watson, and the gentleman from georgia, mr. westmoreland, each will control 20 minutes. the chair recognizes the gentlewoman from california. ms. watson: thank you, mr. speaker. i ask unanimous consent that all members may have five legislative days to revise and extend their remarks. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. ms. watson: i yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman is recognized. ms. watson: mr. speaker, on behalf of the committee on oversight and government reform, i present h.res. 476 for consideration.

this resolution expresses our support for the goals and the ideals of black music month. h.r. 476 was introduced by my colleague, representative steve cohen of tennessee on may 21, 2009, and reported out of the oversight committee by unanimous consent on june 18, 2009. additionally, this resolution enjoys the support of nearly 70 members of which i am included. mr. speaker, as we celebrate black music month this past june, i thought of the impact african-american music has had on american culture.

both socially and artistically, black music is one of the most interesting trends in american history. african-american music finds its roots in the slave culture of the rural south of the united states. blues and gospel music comes from the plantation songs of slaves. as blacks move north into cities like memphis and st. louis, chicago and detroit in the early parts of the 20th century, the music transitioned and became urbanized. blues became jazz and combined with gospel music to form soul. it was not until the past world war ii era that mainstream america began to feel the effects of black music when musical geniuses such as robert

johnson, muddy waters, lewis jordan, b.b. king, bo diddley, little richard and countless others began to play on the radio. in the 1960's, soul music and rhythm and blues crossed over black music further not mainstream. black music legends such as james brown and berry gordy's m o-town machine and jimi hendrix let the world know that black music was a force to be recognizened with. as black music moved not 1970's and 1980's it took new forms, disco, rap and a new form of rhythm and blues which would produce musical geniuses such as the greatest entertainer of all-time who just recently passed, michael jackson.

other musical greats like george clinton and prince and curtis blow, earth, wind and fire and a host of others also helped black music grow to phenomenal levels. so what is the impact of black music? the impact of black music most notably is its -- it told mainstream america that it's ok to express your feelings and your emotions as you see them. black music informed america what was going on in african-american communities and it broke barriers that allowed black people to further integrate into america's society. so, mr. speaker, i want to urge all of my colleagues to support the 30th anniversary of black

music month, and i yield back the remainder -- oh, i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman from california reserves the balance of her are time. the gentleman from georgia. mr. westmoreland: thank you, mr. speaker. i yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. westmoreland: american music reflex the culturally diverse heritage of the united states. it is almost impossible to envision american music without recognizing the influence and contributions from african-americans. the roots of black music can be traced to the mississippi delta and cities such as new orleans, chicago and kansas city. the great state of georgia has offered music greats such as ray charles, otis reding, gladys knight, james brown among many others. they have illustrated their personal experience through their music thus inspiring millions of fans and countless generations of americans. i ask my colleagues to join me in support of this resolution

celebrating the 30th anniversary of june -- the 30th anniversary of june as black music month. thank you, mr. speaker. and i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from georgia reserves the balance of his time. the gentlewoman from california. ms. watson: mr. speaker, we will yield as much time as he needs to our distinguished member from tennessee, representative steve cohen. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from tennessee is recognized. mr. cohen: thank you, mr. speaker. and i'd like to thank the distinguished representative from california, ms. watson, for the time. h.res. 476 celebrates the 30th anniversary of black music month. it was first introduced by president jimmy carter and president jimmy carter recognized the influence, i guess the waldens kind of helped president carter get going in georgia in macon, georgia. of course that was james brown and there were a whole lot of

folks that jimmy carter was impressed with other than the allman brothers, too, but he was a james brown guy too. i was at an event this weekend, mr. speaker, in memphis at one home honoring african culture and there was a gentleman that played the drums at the beginning of the presentation. and after he finished he made a comment. he said, without africa there would not be a beat, there wouldn't be a beat. i thought about that and thought about this resolution and realized he was correct. the beat's what it's about, a lot of folks believe. it's what makes music what it is. it's lyrics and so many things but the beat is what it is. that's what's unique about this contribution to music is the beat. it came from the mississippi river, it came from the delta. memphis' -- memphis is the home

of the blues and the birth place of rock 'n' roll, st. louis had the blues too, w.c. handy was from there, he was a great innovator. then if you spin off to kansas city, charlie parker, who was the father of be-bop and jazz, in kansas city where they've got a jazz museum and he got a special kind of music going, went to new york with dizzy giless pee and max roach and other jazz greats and brought a jazz form that i guess had its roots in not only kansas city but new orleans, with louis armstrong and james booker, who was such a great keyboard performer and gave birth to people who tickled the ivories in a special style. there were so many musicians out of northerly.

it all emanated from the delta, it came from, whether it be gospel, as ms. watson commented, or blues, it evolved and brought about a new art form. in memphis we had stacks records, where otis redding from georgia came to record his music, isaac haste, my good friend who -- isaac hayes, my good friend who passed about a year ago this month, produced "shaft," and he took a special experience to los angeles with the watts musicfest value and isaac hayes was performance art, just beyond music. he was a unique individual who took a certain style and certain music. isaac never knew how to write music, or read music, but he knew how to write it and produce it. testifies a genuine, american, unique musician and hero.

isaac hayes came out of memphis, many people out of stacks records. there was also high records in memphis where willie mitch proehl deuced al green and memphis is proud of its musical heritage which is preserved at the stacks soul museum where stacks was on mclemore, at the same time there was motown with stevie wonder and the supremes and on and on. memphis and detroit both are proud of our musical traditions and histories and we support those. memphis in particular, where elvis presley was a transformative individual that took an african-american musical heritage and combined it with some memphis, tennessee, country or rockabilly and made it rock &roll. he and michael -- rock and roll. he and michael jackson were

crossover figure, showed that music got beyond race. one thing elvis presley did is, it told a lot of young white people it was cool to shake your leg and like music and show emotion and expression and michael jackson showed a lot of people that what he produced was fine in different cultures and it wasn't necessarily one race that liked that particular music or another. it was a transformative effect. the reason we celebrate black music month is because of the tremendous contribution this is country has received from musicians that are african-american. whether it's jazz, or blues or cost gospel with mahalia jackson and aretha franklin and other people, or other forms with nat king cole, or samie davis or marianne anderson,

it's a particularly special place and it's allowed i think a tremendous voice for the civil rights movement. harry belafonte did calypso, a different type of music, but he helped move the country forward. i think it was a lot of african-american music that helped make the civil rights movement happen and made people understand by identifying with performers and music in ways they otherwise couldn't identify with african-americans because of our segregated society about how wrong it was that segregation existed and allow an opportunity for people to see that from a more personal, visceral level and make this country change and become the more perfect union it needs to become. to live up to the ideal this is a our founding fathers had about a society that -- where all men were created equal, which wasn't true for so many years. i think music has had a great

influence, black music has had an influence that's special. the reason we honor black music month is we honor these ideals, some young people don't know about jazz, don't know about lionel hampton and what he could do with a xylophone or some of the other great performers. we need to know that history and revere it. i had a dear friend, warren zivan, he was a folk singer, a rond & roller, he knew he was -- a rock & roller he knew he was close to death, they were talking about dying and he said to him, warren, it's not bad, you'll get to see miles. here was rock 'n' roll folk singers, who were they talking about but miles davis he transcended music and race. he was something special. there were so many performers

like that that's why it's so important that we recognize that heritage and history, what it's meant to america, not just entertainment, but in social change. that's why i'm proud to join the 70 co-sponsors and to speak on behalf of the resolution and ask we pass h.res. 476 and encourage schools to teach arts and music and teach this heritage so people understand how music can move a country and a society forward. thank you, mr. speaker. thank you. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. the gentlewoman from california reserves. the gentleman from georgia. mr. westmoreland: i have no further speakers, i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman from california. ms. watson: we have no further speakers, mr. speaker, i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from georgia. mr. westmoreland: i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman from california. ms. watson: i would be remiss if i did not mention the

contributions of michael jackson, whose passing on june 25, 2009, coincided with the june celebration of black music month. through his innovation in the field of music, music video, and dance, and subsequent global crossover appeal, mr. jackson paved the way for generations of african-american musicians and left an indelible mark on the music industry, created a new genre and a new popular culture. mr. speaker, i 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 467 -- low pressure 476 as amended. those in favor say aye. those opposed, no. in the opinion of the chair,

2/3 being in the affirmative -- mr. broun: i request the yeas and nays. the speaker pro tempore: the yeas and nays are requested. those in favor of taking the vote by the yeas and nays will rise and remain standing until counted. pursuant to clause 8 of rule 20, further proceedings of this motion will be postponed. the chair lays before the house a communication. the clerk: the honorable the speaker, house of representatives, madam, this letter serves as my intent to resign from the committee on standards of official conduct effective today, signed sincerely, john kline, member of congress. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, the resignation is accepted. without objection, the resignation may appear in the record immediately before conversation of house resolution 640. mr. broun: mr. speaker, i move now that the how do now adjourn.

the speaker pro tempore: the question son the motion to adjourn. those in favor say aye. those opposed, no. the noes have it. mr. broun: mr. speaker. i request the yeas and nays. the speaker pro tempore: the yeas and nays are requested. those favoring the nays and -- yeas and nays will rise. a sufficient numbering are vizen, the yeas and nays are ordered. 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.] @

members will please remove their conversations from the chamber. for what purpose does the gentlelady from guam rise? ms. bordallo: i move to suspend the rules and pass h.r. 1044 as amended. the speaker pro tempore: the clerk will report the title of the bill. the clerk: h.r. 1044 a bill to magazine memorial as a unit of the national park system and

for other purposes. the speaker pro tempore: pursuant to the rule, the gentlewoman from guam, ms. bordallo and the gentleman, mr. hastings, each will control 20 minutes. the gentlewoman from guam. ms. boffer doll low: i ask unanimous con -- ms. bordallo: i ask unanimous consent that all members have five legislative days to revise and extend their remarks. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. the gentlelady will suspend. could we have people remove their conversations from the floor so we may proceed. ms. bordallo: h.r. 1044 provides that the port chicago naval magazine national memorial be managed as a unit of the national park system. currently, the area is managed as an affiliated site by the parks service. on july 17, 1944, 320 men were killed in an explosion at the

port chicago navy loading base in the san francisco bay area. this was the largest homeland disaster in world war ii osm the dead, 202 were african-american enlisted men assigned to moving ammunition a highly dangerous job, for which they had not received adequate training. fearful of another explosion, 258 of their surviving fellow sailors refused to work without more training. in response, the navy charged 50 men with mutiny and all were convicted. public outrage over the unjust convictions was a key factor in the navy's 1946 decision to end race based assignments and president truman's 1948 order to integrate all of the armed forces. in 19 -- >> the house is not in order. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is correct. the house is not in order. we respectfully request that

members remove conversations from the chamber so the gentlelady may be heard. the gentlelady may proceed. ms. bordallo: in 1992, congress designated the port chicago naval magazine memorial. this further provides that the port chicago naval magazine national memorial be managed as a unit of the national park system a change that acknowledges the actual role the n.p.s. is playing on the ground in maintaining and interpreting the memorial. the sponsor of this measure, education and labor committee chair george miller, has worked tirelessly with the army and navy as well as the national park service to move this legislation forward. chairman miller is to be commended for his hard work on this bill. i support h.r. 1045 -- 1044 and urge its adoption by the house today. i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the

gentlelady reserves. the gentleman from washington. mr. hastings: i yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized, but first, would members remove their conversations from the floor so the gentleman can be heard. the gentleman from washington. mr. histings: thank you, mr. speaker. -- mr. hastings: i rise in support of h.r. 1044. i regret that so many of the men being memorialized by this legislation are not alive to witness this action today. time has robbed us of many who survived the explosion. we should be thankful that the almighty blessed us with men like these at the port chicago magazine. i support the legislation and i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady from guam. ms. bordallo: i submit for the record the following exchange of letters between the committee for natural resources and the committee on armed

services concerning h.r. 1044. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. ms. bordallo: at this time, mr. speaker, i'd like to introduce the gentleman from california, the sponsor of this legislation, mr. miller, for as much time as he may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. miller: i thank the gentlelady for yielding me this time and for bringing this bill to the floor at this time. i rise in strong support of the port chicago naval magazine national memorial enhancement act of 2009. it is fitting we are taking up this legislation today, as this week marks the 65th anniversary of the munitions explosion at the port chicago naval magazine facility in california, a disaster that killed more than 300 people and wounded hundreds more. port chicago was the site of the worst home front dast over world war ii and it was a turning point in american history. when sailors were ordered to

resume work a few weeks after the deadly explosion, or even sooner after the deadly explosion, white soldiers were given time off to grieve and deal with the aftermath of the explosion. black sailors were ordered to go back to work immediately and most refused to turn to work, to their dangerous assignments, until such time as supervision, training, and working conditions could be improved than they were told why the explosion took place. in response, the navy charged 50 men with conspiring to mutiny. they were convicted. the majority of the men killed at port chicago and those convicted of mutiny were african-americans. the injustice in the legal battles that followed strongly influenced the navy's move to desegregation in 1945 and president truman's order in 1948 desegregating the armed forces and guaranteeing, quote, equality for all people in the

armed services regardless of race, color or national origin. when this bill becomes law, the national pork service will allow them -- to budget for maintenance for the memorial. this legislation was approved by the house last year and is part of the national defense authorization act earlier this year. i want to thank the committee on natural resources for helping expedite its consideration today. particularly, i want to recognize chairwoman bordallo for managing the legislation today, chairman rahall of the committee for its timely consideration, doc hastings, the ranking member, mr. grijalva, chairman ike skeleton of the armed services committee

committee and buck mckeon my former ranking member on education and labor who holds that mogs on the armed services committee and i want to thank the staff of the two committees, including leslie duncan, ben miller, and others, and i urge my colleagues to support h.r. 1044 and i'd like to thank the gentleman for yielding me this time and i yield back the plans of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from washington. mr. hastings: i have no more speakers on my side, i reserve my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady from guam. ms. bordallo: i have no additional requests for time and would inquire of the minority whether they have additional speakers. mr. hastings: i have no additional speakers, i'll yield back my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. the gentlelady from guam. ms. bordallo: i uverage members to support this bill and i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: all time has expired. the question is, will the house

suspend the rules and pass h.r. 1044 as hi i amended. 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 -- mr. broun: mr. speaker. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from georgia. mr. broun: i request the yeas and nays. the speaker pro tempore: the yeas and nays are requested. all those in favor of taking the vote by 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 of rule 20 and the chair's prior announcement, further proceedings on this motion will be postponed. for what purpose does the gentlewoman from guam rise? ms. bordallo: mr. speaker, i move to suspend the rules and pass h.r. 934 as amended. the speaker pro tempore: the clerk will report the title of the bill. the clerk: h.r. 934, a bill to convey certain sub merged lands to the commonwealth of the northern mariana islands in order to give that territory the same benefits in its submerged lands as guam, the virgin

islands and american so maya have in their submerged lands. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman from guam and the gentleman from washington will each control 0 minutes. the chair recognizes the gentlewoman from guam. ms. bordallo: mr. speaker, i ask unanimous consent that all members may have five legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on the bill under consideration. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. ms. bordallo: mr. speaker, i call up for the consideration of the house h.r. 934 which is the first bill introduced by our colleague, the gentleman from the commonwealth of the northern mariana islands, mr. sablan. i thank the gentleman for bringing this subject matter of this which will to our attention. this measure provides equity to thesy ena my. it is the only u.s. territory that does not control its submerged lands. the bill before us would simply convey the submerged lands surrounding the commonwealth of

the northern marianas islands, extending out to three nautical miles to the government of thesy ena mi. this is the same treatment of submerged lands afforded to guam, american samoa and the u.s. virgin islands. i now recognize mr. sablan for introducing -- or i would like to thank mr. sablan for introducing this legislation and for making h.r. 934 one of his first legislative priorities as the delegate. mr. speaker, i urge support for this important legislation and i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady reserves. the gentleman from washington. mr. hastings: thank you, mr. speaker. mr. speaker, i rise in support of h.r. 934. i yield myself as much time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. haste thaste thank you, mr. speaker. mr. speaker, under this legislation, the commonwealth of the northern mariana islands will have parity with other u.s. territories by gaining jurisdiction over its submerged

lands out to three geographic miles. the other territories were given jurisdiction over submerged lands out to three geographic miles in the 1974 submerged lands act. it's time that the commonwealth is given this same authority and this legislation provides that and with that i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves. the gentlelady from guam. ms. bordallo: mr. speaker, i yield to the author of the bill and the gentleman, mr. sablan, for as much time as he may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized for as much time as he may consume. mr. sablan: mr. speaker, i want to thank the gentlewoman from guam, the distinguished chairwoman of our subcommittee, for her leadership on many matters pertaining to the -- and to the marianas islands that we represent here in congress. i want to especially thank her for her support of h.r. 934. on february 25, 2005, the people

of the northern mariana islands awoke to the news that the ninth circuit court of appeals had affirmed a lower court ruling stating that the submerged lands surrounding our islands do not belong to us. rather they're the property of the united states of america. the decision came as a shock. for at least 3,500 years, the people have lived on these islands and fished and sailed in the waters around them. never did we think that of them as not our own. the people ever believed in entering the covenant of political union with the united states of america that we were relinquishing our rights entitled to the submerged lands and waters surrounding us. these lands and waters have always been an integral part of our existence, essential to our being and livelihood and the sense of who we are. yet the ninth circuit ruled otherwise. in doing so, the court did, however, recognize the importance of the submerged

lands through the culture, history and future of the northern mariana islands and acknowledged that congress, if it chose to remedy the situations and return these lands to the people of the northern mariana islands, and that is what h.r. 934 does. it conveys to the people the submerged lands surrounding our islands and coastlines. it's supported by the commonwealth of the northern mariana islands. i ask to enter into the record this letter jointly signed by the governor, speaker of the house, senate president in which the three confirmed the support of h.r. 934. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. mr. sablan: thank you. i would also lining to -- like to add to the record a second letter of support. this is from the friends of the monument, an organization that worked for and successfully achieved the designation of large areas of the waters and lands of the marianas as the

mariana marine national monument. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. mr. sablan: thank you. the monument is one of the largest marine conservation areas in the world which we share with the neighbor, guam, 115,000 square miles and protects the world's deepest ocean, the mariana trench, 35,813 feet deep. it is the understanding of artists that h.r. 934 gives the commonwealth of the northern mariana islands the same rights of the islands submerged around us. this includes the three northern most islands in the northern mariana islands which constitute the island units in the national monument established by presidential proclamation on january 6, 2009. it is also understood that after this is enacted into law, the people of the commonwealth of the northern mariana islands will have the option of operating full control over the

submerged lands of these three islands or deciding to include those submerged lands within the monument under co-management with responsible federal agencies. the proclamation committed the federal government to providing the commonwealth with this option and h.r. 934 expressly provides that it does not amend, repeal or otherwise alter the proclamation and commitments attached to it. mr. speaker, h.r. 934 is the very first bill that a representative of the people of the northern mariana islands has ever introduced in the united states congress. i ask my colleagues to support the measure. i thank the ranking leader member from the -- mr. hastings, also for his support of the measure and i express my hope that this bill, giving back to the people of the northern mariana islands what they always believed to be there their own, will be the first bill introduced by their own representative that is enacted into law and i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. the gentleman from washington. mr. hastings: thank you, mr. speaker.

mr. speaker, i yield one minute to the gentleman from arizona, mr. flake. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from arizona is recognized for one minute. mr. flake: i thank the gentleman for yielding and i just want to welcome the gentleman from the northern mar wlan -- mariana islands to this chamber. it's great to have him here. this is something we've wanted for a long time. to have this territory represented here in the u.s. congress. this is a good bill. it's a bill that some of us have worked on for years to ensure that the submerged lands are where they belong, that the ownership is there and the rights that accrue to that attain to the northern marianas. so i just stand in support of this legislation, again, welcome the gentleman from the northern mariana islands. we're glad he's here in congress where he belongs. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. the gentlewoman from guam. ms. bordallo: mr. speaker, i have no additional requests for time and would inquire of the minority whether they have additional speakers. mr. hastings: i have one additional speaker. i'll do that now. with that i yield three minutes to the gentleman from georgia, mr. broun.

ms. bordallo: mr. speaker, i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady reserves. the gentleman from georgia is recognized for three minutes. mr. broun: thank you, mr. speaker. i thank the gentleman, a good friend, mr. hastings, for yielding some time on this issue. and i greatly appreciate the people of the mariana islands wanting to control their own property and i congratulate them on the introduction of this legislation. and i certainly support it and i think it's very laudable that we are bringing this forward and i very much support it. i think states and territories should control their own property. we have too much federal control of state property and federal property and i am glad to see this legislation and i congratulate you and my friends on the other side for bringing this forward. i'm also concerned about the submergs, those, the american taxpayer in just a sea of debt. we have created more debt in

this congress, this administration has proposed more debt over the next five years than has been created by every single presidency since george washington. all the way through george w. bush. the american people are drowning in a sea of debt and we're creating more and more debt for those people. we are robbing our children and grandchildren of their future. the american people are going to live at a lower standard than we live today because of the debt that we're creating. and i'm very concerned about that. we've got to stop the spending. it's egregious. it's absolutely outrageous the amount of money that's being spent by this congress. and we see bill after bill, a nonstimulus bill, an omny business bill, a wall street bailout that a previous administration brought to us and that this congress and this administration continued and spent the other half. we have a health care bill that's being introduced just today that's going to create

more debt and destroy the health care system and put a washington bureaucrat between patients and their doctor and washington bureaucrats are going to be making health care decisions for their patients and the american people need to stand up and say no. it's going to overwhelm them, a tremendous sea of debt that's being created by this congress. and it has to stop. mr. speaker, i just hope that the american people will understand what's going on here and will rise up, call their congressman, call their two u.s. senators, and say no to this health care bill that's being introduced today. no to the tax and cap. so-called cap and trade bill. that's nothing but a revenue bill, that's not about the environment. say no to that. no to this continued tsunami of spending that's going on here. we've got a spending addiction here in congress. i'm an addictionologist. i've practiced addiction medicine in my family practice.

in addiction medicine we say where there's not denial, there's not an addiction. congress has an addiction, a spending addiction, and they're denying it. we're denied it and the spending has to stop. i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman's time has expired. the gentlewoman from guam. ms. bordallo: mr. speaker, i have no additional requests for time and would inquire of the minority whether they have any additional speakers. mr. hastings: if the gentlelady is the last speaker on that side, if she is the last speaker, i'll yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. the gentlewoman from guam. ms. bordallo: mr. speaker, i again urge members to support this bill and i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady yields back. all time has expired. the question is, will the house suspend the rules and pass h.r. 934 as amended. 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 -- mr. broun: mr. speaker. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from georgia. mr. broun: i request the yeas and nays. 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 arisen, 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 gentlelady from guam rise? ms. bordallo: mr. speaker, i move to suspend the rules and pass h.r. 742 -- 762. the -- the speaker pro tempore: the clerk will report the title of the bill. the clerk: union calendar number 95, h.r. 762, a bill to validate final patent number 27-2005-0081 and for other purposes. the speaker pro tempore: pursuant to the rule, the gentlewoman from guam, ms. bordallo, and the gentleman from washington, mr. hastings, will each control 20 minutes. the chair recognizes the gentlewoman from guam. ms. bordallo: mr. speaker, i ask

unanimous consent that all members may have five legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on the bill under consideration. the speaker pro tempore: without objection.  ms. bordallo health care h.r. 762 introduced by congressman would issue patent to reconfigure certain leased and patented land slated for development. this was intended to provide habitat for the endangered desert tore toys. several groups objected to the process the b.l.m. used to adjust the lands, failing it failed to comply with federal law and failed to provide

habitat for the tore to it. the group sued the b.l.m. and the owners. the parties agreed to settle the lawsuit. h.r. 762 will implement one of several settlement stipulations by validating the final patent to the reconfigured land. all parties to litigation support this legislation. in addition to congressman heller, i would like to highly commend congresswoman shelly for -- shelley berkley for her work. i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from washington. mr. hastings: thank you, mr. speaker. i yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognize plsmed hastings: i, too, rise in support of h.r. 762. it will validate an existing patent for land in addition to the associated land

configurations located in clark and lincoln counties in nevada this action best enables the recovery of the threatened desert tore toys and other species and their habitat. i, too, would like to congratulate mr. heller of nevada for bringing this to our attention and moving quickly to resolve this on behalf of constituents. with that i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady from guam. ms. bordallo: i have no additional requests for time and would inquire of the minority whether they have additional speakers? mr. hastings: i'm pleased to yield three minutes to the gentleman from georgia, mr. kingston. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized for three minutes. mr. kingston: i speak today alarmed at the expense, the spending going on in washington, d.c., more specifically, mr. speaker, i want to talk about the president's ignoring -- ignoring article 2, section 2 of the u.s. constitution that says when you appoint somebody who is part of your

administration in a significant role that you need to have advise and consent of the u.s. senate. but irrespective of this, president obama has named 33 czars outside of the traditional infrastructure of washington. now czarist russia, in its day, had 18 czars other a 300-year period of time. but here in a seven-month period of time, president obama now has 33 czars. i guess his vision is a czarist america. i'm not sure. we have a great lakes czar a regulatory czar, an automobile czar, a guantanamo closure czar, a tarp czar a new tarp czar, all kinds of different czars, none of which have gone in front of the u.s. senate. why is going in front of the senate important, aside from the constitutional requirement? well, for one thing, you get an

automobile czar who has some shady business dealings a 31-year-old who doesn't know a spark plug from a lug nut. why do you think this person could turn around detroit? we found out he's on his way out the door ignominiously. maybe that embarrassment to the administration could have been prevented that this 31-year-old boy genius auto czar had to sit in front of the senate has do judicial appointees and cabinet appointees. i think people think, well, the senate approves cabinet members, but also deputy undersecretaries. hundreds of thousands of people come before the senate for the constitutional requirement, and the constitution can be inconvenient to the administration, i realize that, but article 2, section 2 says you must seek advice and consent of the u.s. senate. the energy czar is a member of

some backo socialist group that believe -- some wacko socialist group that believes the way to deal with global warming is for large industrial countries, i.e., the united states of america, that they have to shrink their economies to offset their emissions. that's the belief of the group that the energy czar belongs to. wouldn't it be interesting to talk to the energy czar and ask her why she thinks this is a good group to be a member of. what would the socialist group have to offer to the united states of america at this point? or perhaps the senate would like to talk to the stimulus accountability czar. the word accountability attracts my attention, because the stimulus accountability czar spent -- can i have an additional minute? mr. hastings: i yield the gentleman an adigal minute. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. kingston thkspe stimulus accountability czar --

mr. kingston: the stimulus accountability czar spent $21 million de-- $18 million to design a webpage. talk about stimulating the economy. that was one way to spend our money. again, advice and consent, the u.s. senate. article 2, section 2. may have avoided that type of expenditure. what do these people get paid, mr. speaker? $172,000 a year. 33 people times $172,000, not to mention the myriad of staffs and entourage that we, important people, in washington, d.c., have to go everywhere with. you never see somebody just walking in by him or herself. you always see the entourage. it tells the world, i am important. therefore i get back to the constitutional question, if you are important, and you have to have this big staff, that costs millions of dollars to the taxpayers, why not comply to the u.s. constitution, article

2, section 2, advice and consent of the u.s. senate. i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman from guam. ms. bordallo: i have no additional requests for time and would inquire of the minority whether they have additional speakers. mr. hastings: i have no more people asking for time and if the gentlelady is the last speaker on that side, mr. speaker, i'll yield back my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. the gentlelady from guam. ms. bordallo: i again urge all members to support this very good bill and i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady yields back. all time has expired. the question is, will the house suspend the rules and pass h.r. 762? those in favor say aye. those opposed, no. in the opinion of the chair, 2/3 being in the affirmative, the rules are suspended and the bill -- the gentleman from georgia. mr. broun: i request the yeas and nays.

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 gentlewoman from guam rise? ms. bordallo: i move to suspend the rules and pass h.r. 1442 as amended. the speaker pro tempore: the clerk will report the title of the bill. the clerk: union calendar number 105, h.r. 1442, a bill to provide for the sale of the federal government's reversionary interest in approximately 60 acres of land in salt lake city, utah, originally conveyed to the mount olivet cemetery association under the act of january 23, 1909. the speaker pro tempore: pursuant to the rule, the gentlewoman from guam, ms. bordallo, and the gentleman from south carolina, mr. broun,

will each control 20 minutes. the chair recognizes the gentlewoman from guam. ms. bordallo: i ask unanimous con stheant all members have five legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on the bill under consideration. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. ms. bordallo: i'm pleased to bring to the house for its consideration this legislation sponsored by the gentleman from utah, representative jim matheson. in 1909, congress authorized the transfer of 60 acres of federal land in salt lake city, utah, to the mount olivet cemetery association for use as a public cemetery. the legislation contained a reversionary clause to the federal government if the land is not used for the purpose of a cemetery. today, in order to raise revenue to operate the cemetery, the mount olivet cemetery association hopes to

sell 13 undeveloped acres of this parcel to an adjacent school and requested that the federal government relinquish its reversionary interest. this noncontroversial bill, which was favorably reported out of the natural resources committee by unanimous consent, authorizes the conveyance of the reversionary interest to the association in exchange for appropriate consideration based upon a survey and appraisal of the property. mr. speaker, congressman matheson has worked diligently on behalf of this legislation. the administration supports the bill and i ask my colleagues to support its passage as well. i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady reserves. the gentleman from south carolina. mr. brown: i yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. brown: 100 years ago, a parcel of land in salt lake city was conveyed to the mount ol vent cemetery association.

h.r. 1442 directs a sale of the lands. the bill does not cost the taxpayers. i support the bill because it reduces, although only by 60 acres, the holdings of the federal government. ms. bordallo: i yield to mr. matheson such time as he may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized for as much time as he may consume. mr. matheson: i'm pleased to rise in support of the bill. you've heard the description of the bill if i could point out the reper cases if we don't move the legislation.

the cemetery is a nonprofit entity, been around about 100 years, it's suffering some financial distress in its endowment and looked for choice for how it can maintain itself and the noge of selling off a piece of the land that's undeveloped will ensure the integrity of the cemetery for the future. if, in fact, the cemetery were to go bankrupt and this nonprofit couldn't continue to maintain it, the land would revert back to the federal government. i do not think the bureau of land management wants to be in the bids of owning and operating a cemetery in salt lake city, utah. here we have legislation based on legislation that occurred 100 years ago and today we're making a substantive solution to a problem that developed since. this is a common sense bill. i've got to tell you something, while it sounds simple, it wasn't. i want to commend the committee staff, the the resources committee staff, for being helpful in working thru this issue to find the right way to

get it done. it may have passed the committee by unanimous consent. that does not mean it did not take a lot of work and effort to make the right decision. i want to thank chairman rahall, chairman grijalva, and i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. the gentleman from south carolina. mr. brown: i continue to reserve my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves. the gentlewoman from guam. ms. bordallo: i have no additional requests for time and inquire of the minority whether they have additional speakers. mr. brown: i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. the gentlewoman from guam. ms. bordallo: i again urge members to support this bill and i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady yields back. all time has expired. the question is, will the house suspend the rules and pass h.r. 1442 as amended? those in favor say aye. those opposed, no.

i think the ayes have it. 2/3 being in the affirmative -- mr. broun: mr. speaker, i request the yeas and nays. the speaker pro tempore: the yeas and nays are requested. those in favor of taking this vote by the yeas and nays will radio 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 gentlewoman from guam rise? ms. bordallo: i move to suspend the rules and pass h.r. 2188 as amended. the speaker pro tempore: the clerk will report the title of the bill. the clerk: union calendar number 108, h.r. 2188 a bill to authorize the secretary of the interior, through the united states fish and wildlife

service to conduct a joint venture program to protect, restore, enhance and manage migratory bird populations, their habitats, and the ecosystems they rely on through voluntary actions on public and private lands and for other purposes. the speaker pro tempore: pursuant to the rule, the gentlewoman from guam, ms. bordallo and the gentleman from south carolina, mr. brown, will each control 20 minutes. the chair recognizes the gentlewoman from guam. ms. bordallo: mr. speaker, i ask unanimous consent that all members may have five legislative days in which to revise and extends their remarks and include extraneous material on the bill under consideration. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. ms. bordallo: mr. speaker, i support h.r. 2188, the joint ventures for bird habitat conservation act of 2009, sponsored by our colleague from maryland, representative frank kratovil. this bill seeks to highlight the critical importance that migratory birds have with our

economy as well as their importance as a bell weather of the health of our environment. however, due to their wide distribution, the only way we can maintain this resource is to work cooperatively, creatively and purposefully with other nations and with all stakeholders to conserve migratory bird habitat. the gentleman from maryland's legislation directs the secretary of the interior to conduct a program of voluntary migratory bird joint ventures to establish durable partnerships to conserve bird habitat over entire geographic regions. thereby developing effective long-term strategies to conserve our common migratory bird resource for the benefit of all. the bill is broadly supported by conservation and hunting interests and the states, as well as the administration. and with that i commend mr. kratovil for his leadership on

this issue and i ask members to support passage of this measure. and i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady reserves. the gentleman from south carolina. mr. brown: i yield myself such time as i may consume. h.r. 2188 would establish the existing migratory bird joint venture program. this program which has been funded as an administrative line item in the u.s. fish and wildlife service budget for over 20 years has done a remarkable job of conserving some 15.7 million acres of grassland, forest, wetlands and habitat throughout north america. when ep-- by enacting this program into law, we will send a positive message to the international community that the united states is committed to its wildlife treaty obligations. we will also ensure that congress has an opportunity to periodically examine this program and evaluate its effectiveness.

i would like to recognize the four bipartisan sponsors of this legislatio congressman frank kratovil, ron kind, myself and rob wittman and i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves. the gentlewoman from guam. ms. bordallo: mr. speaker, i yield to the gentleman, mr. kratovil from maryland, such time as he may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady from maryland is recognized. mr. kratovil: thank you, mr. speaker. mr. speaker, the first district of maryland is defined by a national treasure, the chesapeake bay and the surrounding watershed. during the winter, the wetlands and surrounding habitat of the bay are home to a significant population of migratory water foul, including american black dusk, mallards, canvasbacks and canada geese. however, too many of these birds and their habitats are at risk. protecting these birds is vital because they play an integral

role in the ecosystems across the country and serve as invaluable harvingers of environmental change. protecting their habitats are also imperative to our constituents who consider themselves passionate outdoors men and women. part of our culture and heritage on maryland's eastern shore and elsewhere in the country include activities such as bird watching, hunting, hiking, die yaking and fishing. in fact, according to a 2006 survey conducted by the united states fish and wildlife service, 1.6 million individuals participate in hunting and wildlife watching activities across the state of maryland. leading to a total of nearly 844 million in -- $844 million in economic activity throughout the region. water fall hunting alone was responsible for 726 jobs and nearly $10 million in state and federal tax revenue in narlede -- maryland. needless to say, birds in maryland have a significant recreation and ecological impact. however, for us to have an

important environment and wildlife that future generations can enjoy, it is essential that we support effective habitat conservation. joint ventures are effective, voluntary, public-private partnerships designed to protect, restore, enhance and manage migratory bird populations, their habitats and ecosystems. i was pleased to introduce h.r. 2188 with colleagues representative henry brown of south carolina, representative ron kind of wisconsin and representative rob wittman of virginia. the legislation establishes a voluntary joint venture program administered by the wildlife -- fish and wildlife service in coordination with other federal agencies in the states to develop, implement and support cooperative and effective conservation strategies that promote sustainable bird populations, encourage stakeholder and government partnerships, implement science-drive be landscape level bird conservation strategies and

coordinate related conservation activities. joint ventures have already leveraged funds in science-based data to protect, restore or enhance over 13 million acres of habitat across this country. joint ventures are falling under the northern american water fowl management plan have invested $4.5 billion to conserve $15 -- 15.7 million acres of water habitat. the venture of which maryland is a member focuses on bird hab o'habitat in the atlantic fly -- habitat in the atlantic flyway. this has positively impacted over 280,000 acres across maryland. joint ventures successfully coordinate the activities of various stake holders to protect migratory birds and conserve their habitats, joint ventures in some are an exemplary model that enjoys strong bipartisan support. i encourage my colleagues to support this legislation on behalf of all of their constituents that seek to preserve and enjoy both these migratory birds and their habitats.

thank you and i yield back the balance of my time, mr. speaker. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. the gentleman from south carolina. mr. brown: thank you, mr. speaker. i yield four minutes to the gentleman from georgia, dr. price. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from georgia is recognized for four minutes. mr. price: thank you, mr. speaker, and i want to thank my friend from south carolina for his leadership on this issue and for allowing me to speak for a few moments. this is clearly a bill that's supported on a bipartisan basis and something that ought to move forward. it's something that many care about. i would suggest, mr. speaker, however, that what the american people care about mainly right now are the economy and jobs. the economy, spending, borrowing, the national debt, the national debt as of june 30 stood at $11 trillion,--

$11,545,376,-- mr. speaker, i know that's hard to believe, but that's $37,609.23 for every man, woman and child in america. and over the last month, our national debt has increased by $223.7 billion. a remarkable, remarkable amount of increase. since the democrats took control of congress, the national debt has increased $2.9 trillion. trillion since they took control. that's over $9,300 a person. at the end of april, the u.s. government owed china $763.5 billion this year alone -- $763.5 billion. this year alone it has increased. so the economy is front and center for the american people. it's what is causing them the

greatest amount of heartache, the greatest amount of concern. it's what moms and dads across this land are worried about when they tuck their kids in at night. american people are hurting. millions of americans are out of work and hundreds of thousands continue to lose their jobs each and every month. now, the president -- present administration, the obama administration and the democrats in charge here in congress promised that their trillion-dollar, quote, stimulus, unquote, package would create jobs immediately, they said. immediately. and unemployment wouldn't rise to over 8% if their program was adopted. president obama in fact said that the stimulus bill recently, quote, done its job, unquote, and, quote, is working exactly as we anticipated, unquote. well, mr. speaker, i know that comes as a surprise to the american people as 1.96 million americans have lost their jobs since the stimulus was enacted. i'm not quite certain that they

believe that the stimulus has, quote, done its job and worked exactly as they anticipated. in june alone, almost a half million jobs were lost, increasing unemployment to 9.5%, the highest level in 26 years. the highest leveln 26 years. so it's clear that the stimulus pack and isn't working, mr. speaker. and the american people have a right to know where are the jobs? where are the jobs? now the good news is that republicans have a real plan. a real plan for a real recovery. fiscal discipline here in washington, tax relief for working families and small businesses and family farms, small businesses and family farms, the job creation engine of our nation. so the american people deserve a recovery plan. they do, indeed. they deserve a plan that puts americans back to work. no more borrowing, no more spending, no more unemployment. mr. speaker, the good news is that republicans have a positive

plan, positive solutions for the economy, for jobs, for energy self-sufficiency and, yes, for health reform. so whether it's the economy and jobs that the american people are concerned about, whether it's being able to put gasoline in their car so they can get to work for their second or their third job, trying to make ends meet at home, whether it's providing health care for themselves and their family, positive solutions do exist. the american people want us as a congress to embrace those positive solutions. and i urge, i urge the congress to act in this positive way. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman's time has expired. the gentlewoman from guam. ms. bordallo: mr. speaker, i have no additional requests for time and would inquire of the minority whether they have any additional speakers. mr. brown: no more speakers. ms. bordallo: mr. speaker, i again urge members to support this bill and i yield back the balance of my time. mr. brown: i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from south carolina

yields back, the gentlewoman from guam yields back. all time has expired. the question is, will the house suspend the rules and pass h.r. 2188 as amended. those in favor say aye. those opposed, no. 2/3 of those voting having responded in the affirmative, the rules are suspended and the bill is -- the gentleman from georgia. mr. broun: i request 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 of rule 20 and the chair's prior announcement, further proceedings on this motion will be postponed. for what purpose does the gentlewoman from guam rise? ms. bordallo: mr. speaker, i move to suspend the rules and pass h.r. 129 as amended. the speaker pro tempore: the clerk will report the title of the bill. the clerk: union calendar number 104, h.r. 129, a bill to authorize the conveyance of

certain national forest system lands in the los padres national forest in california. the speaker pro tempore: pursuant to the rule, the gentlewoman from guam, ms. bordallo, and the gentleman from south carolina, mr. brown, will each control 20 minutes. the chair recognizes the gentlewoman from guam. ms. bordallo: mr. speaker, i ask unanimous consent that all members may have five legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on the bill under consideration. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. ms. bordallo: mr. speaker, h.r. 129 was introduced by our colleague from california, representative gallegly. the bill would authorize the forest service to sell five acres of land within the los padres national forest to resolve an encroachment issue. a portion of a small business owned by the white lotus foundation sits on five acres of the national forest. the five acres in question are separated from the majority of the forest by a road.

the foundation was unaware of the encroachment when it purchased the land. so under the terms of the legislation, the white lotus foundation will be responsible for all the costs associated with the conveyance, including any necessary reviews under the national environmental policy act. and, mr. speaker, we support passage of this measure and i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman reserves. the gentleman from south carolina. mr. brown: thank you, mr. speaker. i yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. brown: h.r. 129 corrects the problem resulting from the way a small section of the los padres national forest boundary crosses a road. this road provides the only access to property owned by the white lotus foundation. this bill authorizes the secretary to sell five acres to the foundation and requires that the sale be accomplished at no cost to the taxpayers. i support the bill and reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the

gentleman reserves. the gentlewoman from guam. ms. bordallo: mr. speaker, i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady reserves. the gentleman from south carolina. mr. brown: mr. speaker, i yield three minutes to the gentleman from california, the author of the bill, mr. gallegly. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from california is recognized for three minutes. mr. gallegly: i ask unanimous consent to revise and extend. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. mr. gallegly: i want to thank the gentlelady from guam for her work on this and i rise in strong support of h r. 129. this bill would authorize the forest service to convey a small parcel of land on the perimeter of the los padres national forest to the white lotus foundation. in 1983, the white lotus foundation inherited property in the hills above santa barbara, california, on the board over hoss padres national forest -- on the border of los

padres national forest. after operating in this area for years, the forest service notified them of a parcel .05 acres, just a few actual swear feet, of encroachment on the forest service land. it required them to remove all encroachments by december 31, 2008, or they would begin enforcement action. the encroachment in question is located on a loop of the only road that allows white lotus and the rest of the public access to and from the white lotus property. due to the steep topography, the foundation has no other reasonable alternatives. the loop lies on flat ground which was held for the purpose of providing space for equipment storage for fire and flood emergencies and provided access to a water pump and other necessary equipment.

there is no other flat ground on which to move these items and without this space, the foundation would be force to cease operations. my legislation will not cost the taxpayers a single penny. the white lotus foundation will pay for the land, the survey and all administrative costs. there are no exempleses from environmental laws. the land in question is not protected by wilderness or other specifically designated area. finally, my legislation does not even mandate this land be von kayed. it merely allows the forest service to convey the land and to determine the amount to be conveyed, meaning if the forest service does not feel the land conveyance is in the best interest, it does not have to sell any federal land to the white lotus foundation. in closing, i want to thank the chairman, chairman rahall, the ranking member, mr. hastings, for allowing this legislation

to be considered today and i urge support of this legislation, h.r. 129, and would yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. the gentlewoman from guam. ms. bordallo: i have no additional requests for time and inquire of the minority whether they have additional speakers. mr. broub: we have one further speaker. one more speaker. ms. bordallo: i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady reserves, the gentleman from south carolina. mr. brown: i yield four minutes to the gentleman from georgia, dr. broun. mr. broun: i thank my friend, mr. brown, of south carolina, for yielding. i rise in support othis legislation and want to remind the american public, mr. speaker, if i could speak to them that we have a tremendous federal debt and deficit. this grow -- it's growing by

every moment that this sconk in session. we have a tremendous amount of resources all across this country. in forests, in federal property. i believe we must be good stewards of our environment. it's absolutely critical. in fact, we're charged from a biblical perspective to be good stewards of our environment and i am a conservationist of the first order. i began my political activism being involved in the conservation movement. i'm a life member of many conservation organizations, such as the sheep foundation, the is a father reclube where i was vice president of political action, i'm a member of quail unlimited, ducks unlimitted, i could go on and on.

my conservation credentials are very numerous. but we have corral property all over this country where the federal government is in the managing it properly. the park service can't take care, by their own admission of the federal park service system today. the forest service does a much better job than the park service does in managing its properties, but we have national forests all over this country that has timber growing. it's a renewable resource. mr. speaker, we can handle some of this federal deficit and debt by starting to manage these federal properties in a more responsible, scientific manner that will not harm the environment, will not harm the property, will not harm, actually will help the wildlife. so mr. speaker, as i rise to support this legislation, i ask

this house, i ask this congress, i ask the american people to start demanding good management practices of our national resources and that's going to include good responsible -- good, responsible wildlife management. that's going to include considering hunting on all federal properties as a management tool which is absolutely critical in proper wildlife management. mr. speaker, i do rise in support of this legislation, i assume that it will pass and i hope that it does, but we need to look beyond that and start being good stewards of our environment and we have not been. i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman from guam. ms. bordallo shk i have no additional requests for time and inquire of the minority whether they have additional speakers. mr. brown: i have no further speakers. mr. bordallo: i reserve the

balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady reserves. the gentleman from south carolina. mr. brown: i urge support of this legislation and i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. the gentlewoman from guam. ms. bordallo: i again urge members to support this bill and i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady yields back. the question is will the house suspend the rules and pass h.r. 129? 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 gentleman from georgia. mr. broun: i request the yeas and nays. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from georgia requests the yeas and nays. 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 the motion will

be postponed. for what purpose does the gentleman from georgia rise? mr. broun: to make a motion. the speaker pro tempore: state the motion. mr. broun: i move that the house do now adjourn. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from georgia poses the question on the motion to adjourn. those in favor please signify by saying aye. those opposed, no. in the opinion of the chair, the noes have it. mr. broun: i request the yeas and nays. the speaker pro tempore: the yeas and nays are requested. those favoring the yeas and nays please rise. a sufficient number having risen, the yeas and nays are ordered. mr. broun: i object to the vote on the grounds that a quorum is not present and make a point of order that the a quorum is not present. the speaker pro tempore: the yeas and nays are ordered. 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.]

the speaker pro tempore: on this vote, the yeas are nays are 377. the motion is not adopted.

the speaker pro tempore: the house will be in order. will members please remove their conversations from the floor. for what purpose does the gentleman from california rise? >> mr. speaker, i move we suspend the rules and pass h.r. 409 as amended. the speaker pro tempore: the clerk will report the title of the bill. the clerk: h.r. 409, a bill to provide for the conveyance of certain bureau of land management land in the state of nevada to las vegas speedway and for other purposes. the speaker pro tempore:

pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from california, mr. baca, and the gentleman from south carolina, mr. brown, will each control 20 minutes. the chair recognizes the gentleman from california. mr. baca: i ask unanimous consent that all members have five legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous materials on the bill under consideration. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. mr. baca: mr. speaker, h.r. 409, introduced by congressman dean hiller would provide for conveyance of certain land in las vegas to the las vegas motor speedway for use as a parking lot. the las vegas speedway can draw as more than as 100,000 fans to the raceway. for several years, they have

been looking for bays to expand their parking lot and accommodate the growing number of fans. this would provide for the conveyance of 115 acres to the owns of the speedway for the expansion of their parking lot. the bill further provides the bill withdraws from public hand and may be used only as a parking lot. i would add that the bureau of land management support this is conveyance. we have no objection to h.r. 409 and i urge its adoption by the house today. i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves. the gentleman from south carolina. mr. brown: thank you, mr. speaker. i yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. brown: h.r. 409 directs the secretary of the interior to convey to the las vegas motor speedway at fair market value. additional acreage is needed to

prevent the hazardous driving materials of cars trying to park in inadequate facilities. all costs will be paid by the speedway. it also includes a reversionary clause to return it to the department of interior if it is used for anything other than a parking lot. mr. heller should be commended for this bill. i support the bill and reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves. the gentleman from california. mr. baca: i have no additional requests for time and inquire of the minority whether they have additional speakers. mr. brown: i have one more speaker. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from south carolina. mr. brown: i yield three minutes to the gentleman from illinois, mr. shimkus. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized for three minutes.

mr. shimkus: i ask unanimous consent to revise and extend my remarks. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. mr. shimkus: thank you, mr. speaker. i rise in support of this bill, i like the land transfer aspects of this bill because, you know, it's important when we can use federal plands to address the a -- lands to address a pressing need. unlike the cap and tax bill which tried to address a woody biomass provision which would allow excess wood of decayed trees to be used in the renewable fuel standard. that was one provision to -- provision of in m that identified the failure of the national energy tax and the cap

and trade bill. now, you know, i've promised to continue to come down to the floor to talk about the failed policy of that bill. the bipartisan no vote of that bill. and basically about the concerns that i have of my miners in southern illinois and really the attack on fossil fuels in this country. if off raceway and a speedway, they are the epitome of the -- either the renewable fuels as some of the high speed dragsters or ethanol based fuels, or the technology and the efficiency of using fossil fuels and the ability to really compete and improve fossil fuels, the basic foundation of a thriving economy is something that shouldn't be attacked but incentivized. in this bill that allows for the transfer of federal lands for a good process, it also speaks of how we need to look

at other uses of federal land, especially the woody biomass provisions to say they ought to get renewable credit. when you have federal lands privately managed and you use the forestry aspects, those get renewable fuel credit. but those based upon this energy bill do not get the renewable credit. so they put part of the failure of the bill -- that's why the bipartisan vote on the cap and tax bill was a strong bipartisan no vote and primarily for other reasons which talked about not only coal miners and the last energy bill, 1,200 coal miners from southern illinois. what is our response to the energy needs we have in this country? it's basically an all of the above process. using woody biomass from our federal lands. which gets the same credit as privately forested areas.

it's also addressing the outer continental shell prof visions, allowing oil and gas exploration, using those revenues to move to renewable technology, wind and solar, addressing coal and technology generation from coal and also liquid fuel. that's a diversified energy portfolio. and of course the provisions of biofuels which is what we addressed in the woody biomass. i come to the floor in support of this resolution and since the bill has moved out of the chamber -- i ask for an additional minute. mr. brown: i yield the gentleman an additional minute. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. shimkus: i remind my friends we had a tough debate and a tough vote two weeks ago, but this is not going to end. we're going to talk about the effects of continuing to raise energy taxes in a time of economic downturn and the

provisions passed in this chamber, the bipartisan vote was in opposition to that bill and we'll continue to talk on the floor about that failed policy. i thank my colleague and i thank my good friend for his patience. i yield back my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from california. mr. baca: i have no additional requests for time and inquire of the minority whether they have additional speakers. mr. brown: no further speakers. mr. baca: i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from south carolina. mr. brown: i support this legislation and yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from california. mr. baca: i urge all members to support the bill and i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. all time is expired. the question is will the house suspend the rules and has h.r. 409 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 -- mr. broun: mr. speaker. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from georgia. mr. broun: i request the yeas and nays. the speaker pro tempore: those in favor of taking the votes by the yeas and nays will rise and be 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 gentlewoman from illinois rise? >> mr. speaker, i move that the house suspend the rules and agree to house rslution 543, designating june as home safety month. the speaker pro tempore: the clerk will report the title. the clerk: house resolution 543, expressing support for the designation of june as home safety month. the speaker pro tempore: pursuant to the rule, the gentlewoman from illinois, mrs. halvorson, and the gentleman

from illinois, mr. shimkus, will each control 20 minutes. the chair recognizes the gentlewoman from illinois. mrs. halvorson: mr. speaker, i ask unanimous consent that all members may have five legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. merchandise halvorson: mr. speaker, i yield to -- mrs. halvorson: mr. speaker, i yield to myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady is recognized. mrs. halvorson: injuries in the home results in 20,000 deaths and 21 million emergency room visits each year. the top unintended injuries are falls, poisoning, burns, and drowning. falls are the leading cause of home injury death among older adults in the united states and the total direct cost associated with both fatal and nonfatal falls is more than $19 billion annually for

hospitalization, emergency department visits, and outpatient care. poisonnings are the second leading cause of home injury deaths in the united states. resulting in nearly 5,000 deaths per year. fire and burn injuries are the third leading cause of home injury death and almost 2/3, or 65% of reported home fire deaths resulted from fires in homes with no smoke alarms or no working smoke alarms. deaths due to unintentional choking and suffocation injuries are the fourth leading cause of home injury death in the united states and nearly 25% of all choking and suffocation death os cur in the home. death deuce to drowning are the fifth leading cause home injury death in the united states at an average of more than 10,000

events occur in the home each year that require medical care, emergency department treatment, and or result in days away from work or school. children and older adults have increased rates of unintentional home injury compared with all other age groups. home safety month recognizes the contribution of home safety related nonprofit organizations for their ongoing commitment to ensuring families remain safe in their homes. as part of home safety month, the home saint counsel recently introduce a new and innovative -- council recently introduced a new and innovative online tool to help adults identify the dangers present in and around the home, designated as www.mysafehome.org. additionally, the home safety council is also promoting the hands-on home safety campaign whose goal is to educate and

empower families, businesses and community leaders to take simple actions that will make homes safe, minimize their risk from potential injuries or even death. this resolution encourages adults, parents and care givers to take greater actions to reduce unintentional injuries and educate themselves on the importance of home safety for themselves and their loved ones. at this same time, it is also -- it also encourages manufacturers to develop innovative safety projects and features to help lessen the numbers of home injuries and accidents. and finally, encourages local and national government leaders to support funding for critical home safety education programs to reduce the risks from home injuries. with that, madam speaker, i encourage the passage of this

resolution. the speaker pro tempore: does the gentlewoman reserve her time? mrs. halvorson: and i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: thank you. the gentleman from illinois. mr. shimkus: thank you, madam speaker. i ask unanimous consent to revise and extend and yield myself as much time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, the gentleman is recognized. mr. shimkus: thank you, madam speaker. i'm pleased and honored to be joining my colleague, congresswoman halvorson -- holveson, from the great state of illinois, in speaking -- halvorson, from the get a state of illinois, for managing this debate. on house resolution 543, expressing support for the designation of june as home safety month. there's been a recent stories and because of the economic downturn, many people are being driven to home repairs. i just put up two shades in the townhouse last night and i probably can guarantee you that i didn't do it in the safest manner possible. so this is a simple resolution

to, again, call upon the public to understand the dangers inherent around the home and to provide information on a tool available to help them identify areas which you can do around the home to make your home more safe. each year there are nearly 20,000 deaths and 21 million medical visits caused by unintentional fals, people being poisoned, skin burns due to fires, choking hazards and drowning. unfortunately, most of these hazards occur to the most vulnerable age groups, children and older adults. and i encourage the adult care givers and parents to educate themselves on the importance of home safety for themselves and their loved ones. i would like to express my gratitude to the home safety council for their innovative online tool that helps adults identify the dangers that may exist in the home and also encourage others to look into the hands-on home safety

campaign which was identified by my colleague, www.mysafehome.org. the website has made great efforts to educate families and businesses on how to avoid potential risks and injuries. i probably should have looked at that website before i attempted my little home repair last night. i would like to thank the author again for this resolution, mrs. debby halvorson of illinois, for her leadership in helping americans' well-being and addressing the safety in their homes. i encourage all my colleagues to vote in favor of this resolution and i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves. the gentlewoman from illinois. mrs. halvorson: madam speaker, i have no additional requests for speakers so i would like to inquire whether the minority has any additional speakers. mr. shimkus: as far as i know i have one more additional speaker. mrs. halvorson: i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from illinois. mr. shimkus: thank you, madam speaker.

now i yield such time as he may consume to my colleague and friend, congressman broun from georgia. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. broun: i thank the gentleman for yielding. i'm a physician and i'm concerned about what goes on in people's homes and the safety of in those homes and i commend -- the safety in those homes and i commend the sponsor of this bill for introducing it here before the house. but i think the american people are more concerned about other things now than just home safety. that's certainly of everyone's concern but i think their economic concerns are extremely important to the american people also, madam speaker. i also believe that energy independence is an -- is of extreme concern to the american people, too. republicans have offered alternatives to the tax and cap bill that this house passed just a couple of weeks ago that's over in the senate and hopefully, in my opinion, it

should die over there. the american people, if they would stand up and understand how this is going to increase the cost of not only their energy sources but it's going to increase the cost of everything that they buy, every dollar that they he spend, some of it's going to come to the federal government in the nature of an increased energy tax, which is going to be disastrous. we have, on our side, on the republican side, have introduced legislation that would make america energy independence -- independent. but that bill has not seen the light of day on the floor of this house. and why is that? it's because the democratic majority and the leadership will not allow that to happen. because, i think if that bill were to come to the floor of the house of representatives and the american people were to see it, that they would pass it.

-- we would pass it. but if we passed it over this huge energy tax that is in the tax and cap bill, then the revenue would not be available as the president recently said. he said he needed that revenue to pay for the health care reform bill that he has promoted and that is being introduced this week in the house of representatives. obama care. and obama care, as a physician, i can tell you, is going to be disastrous. for me and my colleagues and for our patients because it's going to insert a washington bureaucrat between the doctor and the patient and that washington bureaucrat is going to be making health care dthses. it's going to be extremely expensive. just last night i held a town meeting and asked a question of the people on the line about what concerns them about this obama care program that's being

proposed by the democratic majority. overwhelmingly they were concerned about the cost as well as the washington bureaucrats inserting themselves in health care decisions. and they were overwhelmingly concerned about the taxes that are going to go up for everybody in this country. there are a lot of tax increases that we already know are going to be in this bill because we've seen the draft. i understand we're going to have the bill today. in final form, at least the final form before all the manage er amendments and markups are done. but we have a lot of things going on ear that the american people need to understand -- going on here that the american people need to understand that are going to be disastrous for them, for their health care, for their economy, that's going to hurt people, that's going to hurt people because the economy

is going to fall just like we're concerned about falls and other things in our home and home safety. our grandchildren are going to live at a lower standard than we live today if we keep passing these bills. we've got unprecedented debt. we've got unprecedented deficits. right now the most abused credit card in this country today is this card, the voting card that members of congress use. this is a credit card that the chinese are picking up the debt that we're creating with the use of this card. madam speaker, we have to stop this egregious, outrageous spending that this congress is doing. it's going to kill the american economy, it's going to destroy the health care system that's being proposed in this health

care bill that's being presented today. we've got to stop it, madam speaker. so it's not just about home safety, it's about economic well-being, it's about our children's future and, madam speaker, it just grieves me to see the direction that this country is going. it grieves me to know what my two grandchildren that i have now are going to have to face in the way of paying back a debt that we cannot pay, my children can't pay, my grandchildren and their children probably are going to have a hard time paying, too. so, madam speaker, we're heading in a bad, bad direction. and the american people need to stand up and understand what's going on and say no to obama care, no to tax and cap, so the called cap and trade bill, no to all of this increased debt, increased deficits, which is

going to take away jobs. we've already seen tremendous job losses, take away jobs, it's going to ruin the economy. and with that, madam speaker, i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman from illinois. mrs. halvorson: i continue to reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from illinois. mr. shimkus: madam speaker, i have no other speakers and i'm prepared to yield back. i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: does the gentlewoman -- the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. the gentlewoman from illinois. mrs. halvorson: madam speaker, first i'd like to thank my colleague from illinois, mr. shimkus, for helping today with this bill. we in illinois do a lot of things bipartisanly together and i just want to give him another thanks for helping out. and bringing awareness to home safety issues, which are important to all of us. and it's a top take could save people money and their health, given the ability that they always have to be aware of things that we need to prevent

so we can prevent accidents in our home. each year an average of more than 7,000 adults age 65 and older die from unintentional home injuries. falls alone account for 52.5% of home injury deaths for adults age 65 to 74. you know, with this, madam speaker, i just encourage everybody to support this and to bring about awareness to home safety month. with that i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady yields back. the question is, will the house suspend the rules and agree to house resolution 543. those in favor say aye. those opposed, no. in the opinion of the chair, 2/3 of those voting having responded in the affirmative -- mr. broun: madam speaker. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from georgia. mr. broun: i request 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 sophomore -- such sufficient -- a sufficient number having arisen, 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. pursuant to clause 8 of rule 20, proceedings will resume on motions to suspend the rules previously postponed. votes will be taken in the following order. h.res. 612 by the yeas and nays, h.res. 469 by the yeas and nays, h.r. 1037 by the yeas and nays, h.r. 402 by the yeas and nays. 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 gentlewoman from the district of columbia, ms. norton, to suspend the rules and agree to h.res. 612 on which the yeas and nays were ordered. the clerk will report the title of the resolution. the clerk: house resolution 612, resolution expressing the profound sympathies of the house of representatives for the victims of the tragic metrorail accident on monday, june 22, 2009, and for their families, friends and societies. the speaker pro tempore: the question is, will the house suspend the rules and agree to the resolution. 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 coverage of the house proceedings for political or

ofwayman lawrence distaylor and expressing the condolences of the house of representatives on his passing. the speaker pro tempore: the question is, will the house suspend the rules and agree to the resolution. members will record their votes by electronic device. this will be a five-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.]

the speaker pro tempore: on

this vote the yeas are --

the speaker pro tempore: on this vote the yeas are 418. the nays are zero. 2/3 having responded in the affirmative, the rules are suspended, the resolution is agreed to and without objection a motion to reconsider is laid on the table. the unfinished business is the vote on the motion of the gentleman from california, mr. filner, to suspend the rules and pass h.r. 1037, as amended, on which the yeas and nays are ordered. the clerk will report the title of the bill. the clerk: union calendar number 80, h.r. 1037, a bill to direct the secretary of veterans' affairs to conduct a five-year pilot project to test the feasibility and advisability of expanding the scope of certain qualifying work-study activities under title 38, united states code.

the speaker pro tempore: the question is will the house suspend the rules and pass the bill, as amended. members will record their votes by electronic device. this is a five-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.]

the speaker pro tempore: on this vote the yeas are 422. the nays are zero. 2/3 having responded in the affirmative, the rules are suspended, the bill is passed, and without objection a motion to reconsider is laid on the table. the unfinished business is the vote on the motion of the gentleman from california, mr. filner, to suspend the rules and pass h.r. 402, on which the yeas and nays are ordered. the clerk will report the title of the bill. the clerk: h.r. 402, a bill to designate the department of veterans affairs outpatient clinic in knoxville, tennessee, as the william c. tallent department of veterans' affairs outpatient clinic. the speaker pro tempore: the question is will the house suspend the rules and pass the bill. members will record their votes by electronic device. this is a five-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.]