commandant, admiral allen, has created a new acquisition directory. under his leadership, the service issued and is continuing to revise a blueprint for acquisition reform. the service is also developing the process and capabilities that will enable it to assume the lead system integration function. during our subcommittee's most recent hearing on acquisition issues, the coast guard announced that under an agreement signed the morning of our hearing all options for extending the deepwater contract with lockheed martin beyond the date of expiration of the current date, january 24, 2011, were eliminated. i, of course, applaud this move. . we learned that certain challenges remain.

the course of the acquisitions contained within the deepwater program have grown more than $2 billion and are now projected to approach $27 billion. costs overruns in coast grd acquisition efforts remain a very serious concern. further, this month, the government accountability office released a new report whose very title contains a serious warning, and i quote as deepwater systems integrator, we are assessing costs, but lags in its approach, end of quote. this report notes that the service has moved to procure the fast response cutter, the first asset acquisition effort is managing entirely in-house without having in place all acquisition documentation required by its major systems

acquisition manual. even if the coast guard establishes the best possible management systems, they will be of no use if they are not followed. further, while the services requiring that its largest programs be managed by individuals with professional acquisition management qualifications, the service recently designated as a program executive officer for the coast guard acquisition direct ate, an admiral-elect who lacked the highest available acquisition management qualifications, despite having a dozen captains who achieved level three program management certification. again, i say, we can do better. through a bipartisan effort, we have crafted detailed legislation that responds directly to the challenges in the coast guard acquisition management that we have so thoroughly examined in the subcommittee and full committee. and that bills on the acquisition management reforms,

the coast guard has already implemented. h.r. 1665, the coast guard acquisition reform act of 2009 as amended would strengthen specific acquisition processes and establish personnel-related standards and policies for individuals in the coast guard's acquisition workforce. the legislation would bar the coast guard from using a private sector lead systems integrator beginning september 30, 2011, the date on which the use of private sector leads systems integrateors will end at the department of defense. the legislation would require the appointment of a chief acquisition officer who as the commandant's choice can be either a member of the military or member of the senior executive service, but who must be a level three program manager and who must have 10 years of professional experience in

acquisition management. additionally, the legislation will require that the coast guard put in place systems to ensure that it effectely and efficiently defines operational requirements before initiating acquisition efforts and that all acquired assets undergo thorough developmental and operational testing to ensure that they will meet mission needs, impose no safety risks or threats to coast guard personnel. the legislation would also ensure that the service develops and critically maintains within its workforce the expertise that it will need to effectively and efficiently oversee acquisition efforts in the future by requiring the service to establish career paths in acquisition management. h.r. 1665 would also provide expedited hiring authority so that the service can quickly field vacancies in its

acquisition workforce. i again thank chairman oberstar, ranking member mica for their work on this legislation and for making this truly a bipartisan effort. i urge my colleagues to support h.r. 1665 as amended and look forward to working with our senate colleagues to enact a final version that can be presented to president obama for his signature. with that, mr. speaker, i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves the balance of his time. without objection, the gentleman from new jersey, mr. low by ando will control 20 minutes. >> i rise in support of h.r. 1665, the coast guard acquisition reform act of 2009. i would like to thank chairman of the full committee, mr. oberstar. i would like to thank mr. cummings and mr. mica for their help in moving and developing

this important legislation. h.r. 1665 builds upon several provisions which passed the house during the 110th congress and includes new language which i believe greatly improves the legislation. like those bills in the previous congress, the bill would reform the services acquisition programs and procedures, prohibit the continued use of private sector lead system integrators and establish a chief acquisition officer to oversee all the coast guard's acquisition projects. 1665 would require the coast guard to take several steps during the planning, production and acceptance periods to enhance the coast guard's control overall parts of the process. under the changes made by this bill, the coast guard will be able to use all of its many technical authorities to ensure that assets delivered meet the services, specifications and needs. lastly, the bill includes two new provisions, which will improve the coast guard's ability to staff acquisition positions with the most qualified candidates. the first is limited direct

hiring authority, which is based on existing authority available to the other armed services. under this language, the coast guard will be able to hire civilian personnel with the needed acquisition expertise. the second will allow coast guard promotion boards to consider the need for specialized skills and qualifications of coast guard officers in areas like acquisitions. this language will provide them with the opportunity to specialize in limited duty areas such as acquisition without negatively impacting their promotional potential in the future. mr. chairman, i support this bill and urge other members to do the same. and i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves the balance of his time. the gentleman from maryland. mr. cummings: we have no additional speakers, so i reserve. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from new jersey. >> we have no additional speakers, mr. chairman, so i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back the

balance of his time. the gentleman from maryland. mr. cummings: i yield myself such time as i may consume. i urge the members of the house to vote for this very important bill. this is one that our committee and subcommittee has worked on for a long time. it is overdue and it's an outstanding bipartisan effort. and with that, mr. speaker, i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. the question is, will the house suspend the rules and pass h.r. 1665 as amended. those in favor say aye. those opposed, no. in the opinion of the chair, 2/3 being in the affirmative, the rules are suspended, the bill is passed and the motion to reconsider is laid on the table. >> i object to the vote on the ground that the quorum is not present. the speaker pro tempore: pursuant to clause 8 and rule

20, further proceedings on this motion will be postponed. for what purpose does the gentleman from maryland rise? mr. cummings: i move to suspend the rules and agree to h. res. 508 expressing the sense of the house of representatives that the general aviation industry should be recognized for its contributions to the united states. . the speaker pro tempore: the clerk will report the title of the resolution. the clerk: house resolution 508, expressing the sense of the house of representatives that the general aviation industry should be recognized for its contributions to the united states. the speaker pro tempore: pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from maryland, mr. cummings and the gentleman from new jersey, will each control 20 minutes. the chair recognizes the gentleman from maryland. mr. cummings: i ask unanimous consent that all members have five legislative days to revise and stepped their remarks and include extraneous material on h. res. 508. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, so ordered. mr. cummings: i yield myself such time as i may consume. i rise in strong support of h. res. 508 introduced by mr. fortenberry and urge its adoption by the house today. h. res. 508 recognizes the

contributions made to the united states by the general aviation industry. current data indicate this industry contributes more than $150 billion to the united states economy and provides good paying jobs to nearly 1.3 million people in a range of professions. approximately 300 u.s. communities have scheduled air service. for the remainder of -- for the remainder of our nation's communities general aviation provides the only option for the movement of persons or cargo by air. general aviation provides specialized air services, such as air ambulance and traffic patrol services to communities that do have scheduled air service. a recent study commissioned by the maryland aviation administration found that in 2005, general aviation activities at the 34 general aviation commuter airports in

maryland supported nearly 7,000 direct, indirect and induced jobs. general aviation in maryland also generated nearly $400 million in direct, indirect a induced expenditures and personal income in my state. as a member on the committee of transportation and infrastructure, i support my colleagues' resolution and agree that general aviation makes a significant contribution to the economy because it builds transportation needs which other wise cannot be met. i urge my colleagues to support this resolution. and i reserve the balance of my ti time. the gentleman reserves the balance of his time. the gentleman from new jersey. >> mr. speaker, i rise in strong support of house resolution 508 offered by mr. fortenberry. the resolution expresses the sense of the house that the general aviation community be

recognized for the contributions it has made to the united states. and i yield to mr. fortenberry for such time as he may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. fortenberry: i rise today in support of this resolution that recognizes the contributions of general aviation in in the united states. the general aviation employs nearly 1.3 million americans throughout the country. general aviation, which includes civilian flying except passenger airlines contributes $150 billion in direct and indirect economic output in our country. the resolution we are considering today celebrates the many areas in which general aviation plays an important role in the lives of every day americans. but unfortunately, many of these contributions are often overlooked. well beyond the services it provides for businesses of all sizes, the general aviation industry has a significant impact on our society. across the nation, 500,000 licensed pilots fly general

aviation aircraft. and each year, 170 million americans use personal aviation. the 1.3 million americans who work in the field hold high-skilled scrobs in aircraft manufacturing and technology development, flight training, maintenance, modification as well as technical support. mr. speaker, in my home state of nebraska, more than 5,000 people are employed in air transportation. and general aviation, airports generate $720 million annually within our state. additionally, general aviation is performing essential services necessary for our safety and well-being, such as aiding law enforcement through patroling highways, apprehending suspects, monitoring national borders or locating lost children. general aviation helps to save lives through emergency transport of patients, supplies and other time-critical items.

the general aviation protec the environment with the surveying of wildlife, mapping of wetlands and patroling of parklands and serves as a vital tool for agricultural producers who rely on these services for crop protection. for these reasons, mr. speaker and others laid out in the resolution, i encourage my colleagues to join me in recognizing the great importance of general aviation to america's families and communities. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves the balance of his time. the gentleman from maryland. mr. cummings: we have no other speakers, so we reserves. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from new jersey. >> in closing, the aviation industry is a vital part of small business that rely on their fleets to provide effective transportation of goods and personnel. it is very appropriate that we are considering this resolution today. as the experimental aircraft association is holding its annual convention known as the

e.a.a. convention this week in oshkosh, wisconsin, referred to by many as oshkosh, it is the world's largest general aviation fly-in. the industry is important to both our nation's economy and american way of life. and i urge my colleagues to support this resolution. 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 maryland. mr. cummings: i urge my colleagues to vote for this very important resolution. and i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. the question is, will the house suspend the rules and agree to house resolution 508 as amended. those in favor say aye. those opposed, no. in the opinion of the chair, 2/3 being in the affirmative, the rules are suspended, resolution is agreed to. without objection, the motion to reconsider is laid on the table. >> mr. chairman, i object to the vote on the grounds that a quorum is not present and make a point of order that a quorum is

not present. the speaker pro tempore: pursuant to clause 8, rule 20 and the chair's prior announcement, further proceedings on this motion will be postponed. for what purpose does the gentlewoman from texas rise? . >> i move to pass h.r. 2903, the act to 2009. the speaker pro tempore: the clerk will report the title. the clerk: h.r. 2903, to amend the water control act for beach monitoring and other purposes. the speaker pro tempore: the chair recognizes the gentlewoman from texas. ms. johnson: i ask unanimous consent that all members have five legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous materials on h.r. 2093. the speaker pro tempore: if there's no objection, so ordered.

ms. johnson: i yield myself such time as i might consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman is recognized. ms. johnson: the clean coastal environment and public health act of 2009 increases the authorization of appropriations for the beaches environment assessment and coastal health act, more commonly known as the beach act bill. through 2014. first signed into law of october of 2000, the beach act provides funding to states, local governments and tribes for the creation of coastal water assessment and public notification program this is a monitor our recreational waters. mr. speaker, i'll suspend for the rest of my statement and file it and reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman reserves. the gentleman from arkansas. mr. boozman: i yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. boozman: i ask unanimous

consent to put my entire statement into the record. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, so ordered. mr. boozman: i'm pleased the house is moving the clean coastal environment and public health act of 2009. this is company ample of the good we can accomplish when we're able to work in a bipartisan manner to address the nation's water resources needs. our nation has nearly 23,000 miles of ocean and gulf shoreline along the continental united states and 5,100 miles of great lakes shoreline. beaches are an important part of american life, providing numerous recreational opportunities for millions of people, including swimming, fishing, boating, beachcombing, sunbathing, surfing and bird watching. this enables the e.p.a. to complete the work they've begun to so they can better protect the public's health and safety. this increases the authorized annual fund frgs $30 million to

$40 million and extends the program through fiscal year 2014. this will help ensure the public can get timely warnings of potential health hazards associated with a trip to the beach. h.r. 2093 requires the department to review the acts and deal with state this is a remain out of compliance. it passed the committee by unanimous vote. i'd like to thank the chairman of the committee, mr. oberstar, the chairwoman of the subcommittee, eddie bernice johnson, and especially their staffs for their hard work on both sides. also, mr. mica for his hard work in helping us to bring this forward and again, i urge adoption of this and i'm so glad it enjoys bipartisan support. with that, i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves.

the gentlewoman from texas. ms. johnson: mr. speaker, i yield such time as he may consume to the full committee chair, mr. oberstar. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. oberstar: i thank the gentlewoman for yielding. i want to compliment ms. johnson on her superb chairmanship of the committee. -- of the committee on environment and water resources, where she has diligently pursued the work of the committee with numerous hearings, in depth, thorough work on the precious resources we have of fresh water, all the water we ever have, have had or will have is with us today. it's our responsibility to care for it. her vigilance in holding these hearings over the last congress and this congress has been superb. the gentleman from arkansas, mr. boozman, has been a splendid partner and diligent

worker on the issues of water resources. he understands the needs coming from his state of arkansas, which is a mississippi river state which is water dependent state and has devoted great initiative to this work. there are also -- we have success -- success has a thousand fathers, is the old saying. mr. pallone of new jersey, mr. bishop, mr. hall, both members of our committee, have been strong supporters of this legislation. i do have to give a special recognition to mr. bilbray the gentleman from california, who over several congresses has championed this legislation, including the initial beach act. the persistence with which mr. bilbray pursues matters is

remarkable. to say the least. he has sing -- he is single minded in his pursuit of this particular issue. and we have here a very splendid, bipartisan bill that improves on the previous legislation, improves on the practices of the previous administration, which, frankly, neglected the needs of beaches. we provide state and local governments greater authority to use a portion after their -- of their beach grant funds to identify courses -- sources of quality, track ongoing pollutions to coastal recreation waters and establish the validation of a rapid testing method which all members of this body, which represent coastal area, whether the freshwater coast or the

saltwater coast, have strongly urged. this legislation will define rapid testing as a method that can produce results as soon as practicable but not more than six hours after commencement of the test. all the supporters, including the gentleman from new jersey, who is just arriving, mr. pallone have urged action on this particular rapid testing issue. so we give it definition and we give it urgency and fiscal support. this was a very good deal, a product of a great deal of experience and interest and support from members on both sides of the aisle on the east coast, the west coast, the gulf coast, and the fourth coastline, the great lakes coast. i urge support of this legislation. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman reserves.

the gentleman from arkansas. mr. boozman: again i'd like to thank the chairman and the ranking member and my chairman, ms. johnson and urge adoption. with that, i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. the gentlewoman from texas. ms. johnson: thank you, mr. speaker. mr. pallone from new jersey, i yield one minute. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. pallone: thank you, ms. chairwoman. i know the time is short, bill brief. this is a very important bill to the nation's beaches. i represent a coastal area. basically a few years ago we passed the original beaches act which allowed for testing of ocean waters so that people would know, as a sort of right to know measure, when to go in the water and when not to. it's been very successful in keeping beaches clean and notifying people when they shouldn't go swimming or when beaches have been cleaned up

and they can go back into the water. we found we needed better protection. that's what we're doing with this bill today. it calls for more rapid testing within 24 hours. sometimes it would take, within a few hours, i should say, because sometimes it would take 24 to 48 hours in the past before we would know whether beaches should be closed. there's a much more rapid testing method within a few hours. in addition to that, the grants allow for support for actually preventing beach closings and using the money, the federal money for tracking so that actually, waters do not become more so po lute . -- polluted. there's a lot more improves -- improvements in this bill. i know there's a senate equivalent of this, so i think we can get it signed into law quickly. ms. johnson: thank you very much. i yield one minute to mr. bishop. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognize.

mr. bishop: i will be even more brief than mr. pallone. let me thank mr. pallone and mr. bilbray, mr. boozman, chairman oberstar, chairwoman johnson for their leadership of this issue. this bill builds on the original skessdzes of the beach act, implements rapid testing procedures that are vitally important. it provides a significantly larger authorization for the grants and i urge its passage. i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman from texas. ms. johnson: mr. speaker, i applaud the sponsors of the legislation, mr. pallone and our colleagues on the committee, transportation and infrastructure, mr. bishop and mr. hall for introducing this important legislation. further, i appreciate and respect the fact that mr. oberstar and mr. mica, mr. boozman helped with this as well. i urge its adoption and i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman yields back.

the question is will the house suspend the rules and pass h.r. 2093 as amended? those in favor say aye. those opposed, no. in the opinion of the chair, 2/3 being in the affirmative. mr. boozman: i object to the vote on the grounds that a quorum is not present and make a point of order that a quorum is not present. the speaker pro tempore: pursuant to clause 8 of rule 20 and the chair's prior announcement, further proceedings on this motion will be postponed.

the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from florida rise? mr. hastings: i send to the desk a privileged report from the committee on rules for filing under the rule. the speaker pro tempore: the clerk will report the title of the resolution. the clerk: report to accompany house resolution 685 for consideration -- providing for the tchoferingse bill providing appropriationers in department of defense and for other purposes. the speaker pro tempore: referred to the house calendar and ordered printed. 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.r. 1293 by the yeas and nays.

h.r. 556, de novo. h.r. 509, de novo, h.r. 1093, de novo, h.j.res. 44 de novo. the first vote will be a 15-minute vote. the remaining votes will be five-minute votes the unfinished business is the vote on the motion of the gentleman from california, mr. filner to suspend the rules and pass h.r. 1093. the clerk will report the title. the clerk: h.r. 1293, a bill to amend title 38, united states code to provide for an increase in the amount payable by the secretary of veterans affairs for improvements around structural alterations furnished as part of home health services. 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 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.]

>> a request for a recorded vote. the speaker pro tempore: a recorded vote is requested. those favoring a recorded vote

will rise. a sufficient number having arisen, a recorded vote is ordered. 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 426, the nays are zero, one recorded as present. 2/3 being in the affirmative, the rules are suspended, the resolution is agreed to. and without objection, the motion to reconsider is laid on the table. the unfinished business is the question on suspending the rules and passing h.r. 1035, which the clerk will report by title. the clerk: h.r. 1035, a bill to amend the morris k. udall scholarship and excellence in

national environmental and native american public policy act of 2002 and for other purposes. the speaker pro tempore: the question is, will the house suspend the rules and pass the bill. those in favor say aye. those opposed, no. in the opinion of the chair, 2/3 being in the affirmative, the rules are suspended, the bill is passed. and without objection, the motion to reconsider is laid on the table. the unfinished business is the question on suspending the rules and passing h.j.res. lution 44, which the clerk will report by title. the clerk: a joint resolution

recognizing the service, sacrifice, honor and professionalism of the noncommissioned officers of the united states army. the speaker pro tempore: the question is, will the house suspend the rules and pass the joint resolution. 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 joint resolution is passed. and without objection, the motion to reconsider is laid on the table.

the speaker pro tempore: the house will be in order. pursuant to clause 8 of rule 20, the chair will postpone further proceedings today on motions to suspend the rules on which a recorded vote or the yeas and nays are ordered or on which the vote incurs objection under clause 6 of rule 20. recorded votes on postponed questions will be taken later. for what purpose does the gentlewoman from california rise? >> madam speaker, i move to suspend the rules and pass h.r.

2728 as amended. the speaker pro tempore: the clerk will report the title -- >> mr. speaker, the house is not in order. >> the house is in order. -- the speaker pro tempore: the house is in order. the gentlewoman may proceed. the clerk will report the title of the bill. the clerk: union calendar number 86, h.r. 2728, a bill to provide financial support for the operation of the law library at the library of congress and for other purposes. the speaker pro tempore: pursuant to the rule, the gentlewoman from california, ms. lofgren, and the gentleman from california, mr. lungren, will each control 20 minutes. the chair recognizes the gentlewoman from california. ms. lofgren: madam speaker, i ask unanimous consent that all members have five legislative days to revise and extend their remarks on this legislation. the speaker pro tempore: without

objection. ms. lofgren: madam speaker, i yield myself such time as i may consume. and i would note again that the house is not in order. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman is correct. the house will be in order. members, please take your conversations off the floor. ms. lofgren: madam speaker, this bill is named after william orton, a member of the united states house of representatives from utah's third district from 1991 to 1997. bill passed away in april of this year. bill was a tireless advocate for the law library and this legislation is a fitting way to honor his memory. >> mr. speaker, the house is not in order. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is correct. the house will be in order. members take theirs off the floor -- take their conversations off the floor.

the gentlewoman may proceed. ms. lofgren: thank you, madam speaker. bill orton was a tireless advocate for the law library and this legislation is a fitting way to honor his memory. the law library of congress maintains a unique and world renowned collection. this bill will help ensure that the law library will have the resources needed to maintain and expand its collections while at the same time modernizing its systems. the act authorizes, number one, $3.5 million for maintaining and administering the operations of the law library, including the catalogging of the collections of the law library. two, align eye -- a line item for the law library to ensure the library and improve the library and the creation of the william orton program to provide enhanced and special services and programs for the library and otherwise support the mission of the law library. the librarian may carry out the program through agreements and

partnerships entered into with other government and private entities, including the american association of law libraries and the american bar association. donations of funds and in kind contributions in support of the program may be accepted and it requires an annual report. finally, h.r. 2728 was amended by the house administration committee and during markup we made a change in the name of the law library to the national law library, to increase the roll and status of the -- role and status of the law library. still authorizes to be appropriated to the program the amount 40% to the amount of donations accepted by light brear of congress trust fund board in support of the program. it is a 60%/40% private-public split. it is an invaluable resource both to the congress and the nation and we have an obligation to future generations to provide for its continuation through the

establishment of the william orton program. some of the organizations that are supporting this bill include the american bar association, the american association of law libraries and the northern california association of law libraries. now why is this bill important to the point that myself and my colleague from california, mr. lungren, have spent actually several years working on it? not only is this collection unique in the united states and important to the re of law in the united states, this collection is important to the world. and i'll give you an example why. when the taliban was finally expelled from government in afghanistan, the people of afghanistan looked to reinstitute the rule of law and the only place where afghani law could be found was in the law library in the library of congress in the united states and it was through that

collection that we were able to help in that way and the reinstitution of the rule of law. i would just like to say one further word about the late bill orton. after he left the congress he went back into private practice, but he always volunteered his time and he spent countless hours with the bar association and others coming and trying to help the law library. he understood that it wasn't flashy but it was important. and actually that's just like bill. a guy who wasn't flashy but who was serious and did important things for his country. i can remember sitting on this floor, sitting next to then congressman bill orton, discussing the issues of the day while he had his young son, will, sitting on his lap. many times during state of the union speeches, young will would be there with his dad. and i hope that in addition to doing this good thing through passing this bill that will and

his -- the rest of his family can take satisfaction that bill orton's name will forever be associated with this law library and we will always be in his debt for what he has done and i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman reserves the balance of her time. the gentleman from california is recognized. mr. lungren: thank you, madam speaker. i yield myself such time as i may consume. madam speaker, i'm pleased to rise today in support of the bill that will pave the way for the law library at the library of congress to more fully serve this body, the legal community, academia and the public. the law library is one of the greatest collections of legal documents in the world, unparalleled in its breadth and depth. the collection is so significant and diverse that following the removal of the taliban from the power in afghanistan, as was suggested by my colleague from california, the afghani people turned to the library of congress' archives to find a copy of the laws and

constitution of their country, afghanistan. not much more than a year ago in may, 2008, a good friend and colleague of ours, the late representative bill orton of utah, appeared before the house appropriations committee and delivered compelling testimony toward the importance of properly funding this law library. it is therefore fitting that it is in his honor that we move this bill forward today. among bill orton's argument for passionate support of the law library, two are most salient. it forces the congress and the pressing need for an avenue to facilitate and dedicate private support for this law library. the american bar association in a letter this month to the house of representatives echoed bill orton's testimony, explaining that the spreading of budgetary shortfalls has led at times to the neglect of particular portions of collections. for example, the a.b.a.

highlights this fact that the law library's subscriptions are months out of date. at the time of his testimony, bill orton's pire -- appeared as a representative of the american bar association which dedicated a committee to specifically address the maintenance, accessibility and relevance of the law library. when pressed as to whether the legal community would pitch in as a partner in financially supporting the law library, his response was, emphatically yes. with with the passage of this bill we enable our partners in the legal community to fulfill that commitment and we give them an avenue in which that can be done. more personally, this bill serves as a tribute to our late colleague, bill orton. during his service in this body, he was a passionate advocate for the law library and its many resources. he recognized the value of the careful stewardship of the law library's institutional mission. so i hope that with our vote today we'll move that much closer to seeing the goal of bill orton realized.

i urge my colleagues, therefore, to join me in supporting the memory bill orton, the mission of the law library and this bill. and, madam speaker, since i have no other requests for time, i would yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. the gentlewoman from california. ms. lofgren: madam speaker, before yielding back, i would simply thank the gentleman from california for being my partner in this effort. thank again the members of the house administration committee for working with us and remember once again our colleague, bill orton, who was such a fine person who did so much in his life and i know that his sons, will and wesley, his wife, jacqueline, were very proud of him and i know that they'll take satisfaction that his volunteerism is being recognized through this effort today and with that i yield back. .

the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman yields back. will the house suspend the rules and pass h.r. 2728 as amended. those in favor say aye. those opposed, no. in the opinion of the chair, 2/3 being in the affirmative, the rules are suspended, the bill is passed -- the gentleman from california. mr. lungren: i object on the grounds that a quorum is not present and make a point of order that a quorum is not present the speaker pro tempore: further proceedings on this motion will be postponed.

the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentlewoman from california rise? mrs. davis: i move to suspend the rules and pass h.r. 1752 as amended. i the speaker pro tempore: the clerk will report the title. the clerk: a bill to provide that the usual day for paying salaries in or under the house of representatives may be established by regulations of the committee on house administration. the speaker pro tempore: pursuant to the rule, the gentlewoman from california, mrs. davis. and the gentleman from california, mr. lungren, will each control 20 minutes. the chair recognizes the gentlewoman from california. mrs. davis: i ask unanimous consent that all members have five legislative days to revise and extend their remarks. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. mrs. davis: the principal

purpose of this act is to administer pay day schedule, it doesn't affect the pay for members. the house passed a similar bill in the 110th congress. this bill gives the committee on house administration the ability to set the day of pay for house employees. this flexibility will allow the committee to be more responsive to the needs of our employees, many of whom have expressed their frustration about the current system. furthermore, this bill will give us the opportunity to be more consistent with employees in the senate, the executive branch and most of the private sector with regard to pay days. the committee adopted a technical amendment to provide the staff members of congressional liaison members of the house who are on active duty will be eligible to apply for membership in the house of representatives staff exercise facility. the house passed a resolution,

house r.e.s. 1068 which approved this policy and this bill would enact it into permanent law. i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman reserves. the chair recognizes the gentleman from california. mr. lungren: i yield myself such time as i may consume. i rise in support of h.r. 1752, which will vest in the committee of house administration the authority to evaluate and implement best practices to improve efficiency in our payroll process. the house inspector general has reported that it may be of benefit to the house to transition to a bi-monthly pay cycle. after incurring upfront transition costs, this change may reduce overpayments over time and reduce errors by distributing the burden of incorporating payroll changes into the system.

i would like to ask the distinguished gentlelady from california if she would enter into a colloquy as to exactly how this authority is to be exercised. i thank you for your indulgence. the legislation before the house simply grants the committee on house administration the authority to change the pay cycle and does not in and of itself authorize any changes. as the gentlelady is aware any change to the current operating status with regard to payroll would have a large impact on the daily lives of house staff. it is important that the committee if granted this authority will act cautiously and only after sole ising feedback of the house community. and i understand on the majority side that you would be willing to work with us to ensure that the opinions of house staff are

gathered and considered prior to any potential change in the pay cycle. mrs. davis: the gentleman is correct. we will work with you on that. mr. lungren: i urge support for this bill and since i have no requests for time, i would yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. the the gentlewoman from from california is recognized. mrs. davis: i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the question is, will the house suspend the rules and pass h.r. 1752 as amended. those in favor say aye. those opposed, no. in the opinion of the chair, 2/3 being in the affirmative -- mr. lungren: object to the vote on the grounds that a vote quorum is not present. the speaker pro tempore: pursuant to clause 8, rule 20 and the chair's prior announcement, further proceedings on this motion will be postponed.

for what purpose does the gentlewoman from california rise? mrs. davis: i move to suspend the rules and pass h.r. 2510. the speaker pro tempore: the clerk will report the title of the bill. the clerk: union calendar number 85, h.r. 2510, a bill to amend the help america vote to's reimburse states for the costs incurred and track and affirm absentee ballots in elections to the federal office and make information of the ballots available by means of online access and other purposes. the speaker pro tempore: the the gentlewoman from from california, mrs. davis, and the gentleman from california, mr. lungren will each control 20 minutes. the chair recognizes the gentlewoman from california. mrs. davis: i ask unanimous consent that all members have five legislative days to revise and extend their remarks on this legislation. the speaker pro tempore: without

objection. mrs. davis: i yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman is recognized. mrs. davis: i ask that the house pass the absentee ballot track, receive and confirm or track act. i would like to thank house administration chairman brady, ranking member lungren and representative lofgren for allowing this bill to come forward today. i would like to thank our subcommittee's ranking member, mr. mccargetty for joining me in introducing this bill. i appreciate my california colleague's input in support of this legislation. this is a better bill today because of his efforts and i hope the members of our subcommittee can continue to work together across party lines because the house administration need not be a partisan issue. we introduced this bill after hearing from and sen tee voters they would like to know if the ballots were sent, received and

whether their votes were actually counted. in most cases, the fear of one's mail-in ballots somehow being lost in the system are unfounded, but we all know that the worry is still there. and sometimes there is real reason for concern. we have all heard election horror stories from people who simply did not receive a ballot they requested. other voters have called their overwhelmed election offices and waited on hold for far too long trying to find out what happened to their ballots. and most voters never know whether their absentee ballot was actually counted. was there a problem with their signature, they might wonder. was the ballot damaged in the mail. our nation's voters deserve electoral procedures that are transparent and strengthen their

faith in democracy. the good news is that it is possible and practical to track absentee ballots. if voters can identify a problem early, they can work with their election officers to fix it and ensure that their votes count. the tract act is modeled on a successful piece of california legislation that allows voters to go online or call a phone number to easily find out whether an elections office has sent out a ballot, whether a completed ballot has arrived back at the office and whether the registrar has counted the ballot and if not, why not. absentee tracking has been a proven success in california and in several other states. in my home county of san diego, over 98,000 voters checked their ballot status online last

november using such a system. tracking gives voters easy access to the answers they need and it takes the burden off the phone lines and election offices. absentee ballot tracking is particularly useful for our men and women in uniform serving overseas who have difficulty foning their election offices during regular business hours. the tract act would allow the federal government to reimburse states for establishing absentee tracking systems. in setting up these tracking systems can be done for just a few thousands dollars in many jurisdictions. one county in california did it by simply linking their data base to their web site and many other counties have followed that model. in these tough economic times, even the small grants we are offering states today will be

especially helpful. i ask my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to join mr. mccarthy and me in supporting this effort to strengthen the democratic process and give american voters the electoral certainty they deserve. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman yields back. mrs. davis: i reserve. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from california. mr. lungren: i yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. mr. lungren: today, i rise in support of this bill, the track bill, which will encourage states to adopt measures towards the modernization of election systems. the legitimacy of our systems is based on the public trust that properly cast ballots are counted and in the case of absentee ballots reach their appropriate destination.

there is cause for concern as to the legitimacy of the outcome. long gone should be the days when dogged-ear absentee ballots are relegated to dark corners. instituting a tracking system, states can further ensure that security of their absentee ballots. some have said this is really promoting postal progress information for election shipments. mover, an absentee tracking system will enable voters the ability to call attention to ballots that failed to reach their destination. beyond the benefits of a ballot tracking system, it is a volunteer incentive-driven system. each state approaches its election system, this voluntary program empowers the states to modernize their election systems

in a manner appropriate to their particular challenges. the committee on house administration has held several hearings dealing with challenges to the administration of reliable and credible elections. through the testimony of many qualified witnesses, we have come to realize that one particular subset of voters who are particularly vulnerable are those challenges to overseas military voters. my colleague on the committee, mr. mccarthy has introduced a piece of legislation which would remedy that disservice to our men and women in uniform. just as we take up this bill today, i'm hopeful we will see his bill brought before this body for a vote. it isn't unacceptable for ballots to disappear radio like wandering puppies. we owe them better than that. i have no other requests for time. at this time, i would urge support for this measure and yield back the balance of my

time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. the gentlewoman from california. mrs. davis: i yield three minutes to the the gentleman from new jersey, mr. holt. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized for three minutes. mr. holt: madam speaker, i thank the gentlelady from california and i rise in support of the absentee ballot track act and commend her and mr. mccarthy for crafting this commonsense measure and i urge my colleagues to support it. . for the sake of good democracy we must do all we can involve good voting and we must do all we can to remove every reason for voters to believe that the voting system is not working well. to remove any doubt that they might have that votes are not counted as they intended. every year some number of absentee ballots are requested by voters but not received or delivered to voters but not returned to the election officials. the election assistance

commission's 2004 election administration voting survey reported that on average only 89% of absentee ballots requested were returned. the 2006 election administration voting survey reported that on average 1/4 of domestic civilian absentee ballots were rejected due to untimely receipt and according to a survey of military and overseas voting conducted in 2008 more than one in five american voters living overseas, including military personnel, did not receive their ballots on time for them to be counted in the 2008 election. every such instance of nonreceipt or nondelivery must be treated as a probable instance of wrongful disenfranchisement. because we can assume voters would not have requested the ballots if they did not intend to vote. that's why i support this commonsense measure. it would reimburse states for establishing programs to track and confirm the receipt of

absentee ballots and make available to the individual who cast the ballot information on the receipt of the ballot. and information about whether or not the ballot was counted. this would be done by means of online access using an internet site of the official's office. i commend this bill to my colleagues and i thank the gentleman and the gentlelady for proposing it. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman from california. ms. davis: madam speaker, i have no additional speakers and i yield back the balance of my time. i urge passage of this legislation. thank you. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman yields back. the question is, will the house suspend the rules and pass h.r. 2510. 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 gentleman from california. mr. lungren: i object to the

vote on the grounds that a quorum is not present and i make a point of order that a quorum is not present. the speaker pro tempore: pursuant to clause 8 of rule 0 and the chair's prior announcement, further proceedings on this motion will be postponed.

the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from american samoa rise? mr. faleomavaega: madam speaker, i move to suspend the rules and agree to the resolution, h. resolution 535 as amended. the speaker pro tempore: the clerk will report the title of the resolution. the clerk: house resolution 535, resolution commending the congress of leaders of the world and traditional religions for calling upon all nations to live in peace and mutual understanding. the speaker pro tempore: pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from american samoa, mr. faleomavaega, and the gentlewoman from florida, ms. ros-lehtinen, each will control 20 minutes. the chair recognizes the gentleman from american samoa. mr. faleomavaega: madam speaker, i ask unanimous consent that all members may have five days to revise and extend their remarks

and include extraneous materials on the resolution under consideration. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. mr. faleomavaega: madam speaker, i rise today in support of house resolution 535, condemning the congress of -- i mean, commending the congress of leaders of world and traditional religions for calling upon all nations to live in peace and mutual understanding. the congress has organized in 2003 in recognition of the growing importance of world religions in respondsing to emerging threats and global epidemics. the congress is held every three years and seeks to foster greater dialogue and cooperation among world religions to address the serious challenges we are facing like terrorism, poverty, war, extremism and the global collapse of financial markets. this year i had the privilege of attending the third congress. approximately 77 delegations from 35 countries participated, including leading cleric and scholars representing jew

dayism, islam, christianity, buddhism and other religious traditions. a delegation from the vatican was led, israeli president delivered the keynote address and the church of jesus christ of latter day saints was also represented for the first time. because religions can be a decisive factor in maintaining peace and security in the world, i encourage my colleagues to vote in favor of house resolution 535. this resolution supports freedom of religion and conscience throughout the world. as a fundamental human right and as a source of stability for all countries and commends the congress of leaders of world and traditional religions for the work it is doing to advance tolerance and understanding. again, i urge my colleagues to support this bipartisan resolution and i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves the balance of his time. the gentlewoman from florida is recognized. ms. ros-lehtinen: thank you so

much, madam speaker. i yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. ms. ros-lehtinen: thank you. madam speaker, i rise in support of house resolution 535. this resolution commends the congress of leaders of world and traditional religions and expresses support for freedom of religion as a fundamental human right and a source of stability for all countries. i support this resolution and the broader cause of promoting freedom of religion. however, i have some concerns about this measure. kazakhstan initiated the effort to establish the congress of leaders of world and traditional religions and its capital served as the location for the past three gatherings. however, our u.s. department of states report on international religious freedom as well as a number of human rights n.g.o.'s underscore that kazakhstan has considerable problems with its treatment of some of its religious minority groups. some of the reported instances

of religious intolerance in kazakhstan include police officials disrupting religious meetings in private homes, confiscation of religious literature, fines, detentions, harassment and deportation of unregistered missionaries. it has also been reported that the government-controlled media in kazakhstan has increased its negative coverage of what they consider nontraditional religions such as evangelical christians, scientologists, depicting those groups as dangerous sex. although we should -- sects. although we should support the efforts of congresses, we must be careful not to inadvertently provide political legitimacy to the government of kazakhstan in its treatment of some of its religious minorities. furthermore, kazakhstan will assume the chairmanship of the

organization for security and cooperation in europe in 2010 and it is important that those responsible nations hold it accountable to the commitments that it has made to implement democratic reforms and to protect human rights. again i would like to express my support for this resolution although with some reservation and i ask my colleagues to do the same. thank you, madam speaker, and with that i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman reserves the balance of her time. the gentleman from american samoa. mr. faleomavaega: madam speaker, i have no further speakers. ms. ros-lehtinen: madam speaker, i also have no further requests for time so i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman yields back the balance of her time. mr. faleomavaega: madam speaker, i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. the question is, will the house suspend the rules and agree to

house resolution 535 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 -- ms. ros-lehtinen: madam speaker. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman from florida. ms. ros-lehtinen: madam speaker, i object to the vote on the grounds that a quorum is not present and i make a point of order that a quorum is not present. the speaker pro tempore: pursuant to clause 8 of rule 20 and the chair's prior announcement, further proceedings this motion will be postponed. for what purpose does the gentleman from american samoa rise? mr. faleomavaega: madam speaker, i move to suspend the rules and agree to house resolution 550. the speaker pro tempore: the clerk will report the title of the resolution. the clerk: house resolution 550, resolution recognizing the day of the african child on june 16, 2009, devoted to the theme of child survival and to emphasize the importance of reducing

maternal, newborn and child death in africa. the speaker pro tempore: pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from american samoa, mr. faleomavaega, and the gentlewoman from florida, ms. ros-lehtinen, each will control 20 minutes. the chair recognizes the gentleman from american samoa. mr. faleomavaega: madam 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. mr. faleomavaega: and include extraneous material on the resolution under consideration. madam speaker, i rise in strong support of this resolution and i yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. faleomavaega: and i certainly want to thank our senior ranking member of our house foreign affairs committee, my good friend, the gentlelady from florida, ms. ros-lehtinen, for her support of this legislation as well as the chairman of our foreign affairs committee, the gentleman from california, mr. berman. madam speaker, the day of the african child has been celebrated on june 16 each year since 1991 when it was first initiated by the organization of

african unity, the precursor of the after coon union. according to the united nations children's funds, subsaharan africa remains the most difficult place in the world for a child to survive. every year in subsaharan africa, more than 1.2 million babies die in the first month of life. roughly one in every six children fail to reach their fifth birthday. despite significant overall progress in decreasing mortality rates for children under age 5, each year an estimated 9.2 million newborns and children die from preventable and treatable causes. the top five killers of children under 5 include neonatal causes such as respiratory infections, pneumonia, malaria, diarrhea and hiv-aids. according to ministers of health, the high level of maternal and childhood level of mortality are atrbletted to weak

health systems, a low level of skill attendance at birth, poor health infrastructure and inadequate financial resources. progress in reducing maternal, newborn and child deaths can be achieved through increased coverage of proven solutions. over the past three decades u.s. -international child survival programs have helped save millions of lives in africa and elsewhere. we join in solidarity with national leaders across africa, unicef and many other humanitarian groups in marking the day of the african child with a continued commitment to boost child survival. i strongly support this resolution, urge my colleagues to support this measure and i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves the balance of his time. the gentlewoman from florida. ms. ros-lehtinen: madam speaker, i yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman is recognized. ms. ros-lehtinen: thank you.

madam speaker, i rise in strong support of house concurrent resolution 550, recognizing the day of the african child, which is observed each year on june 16. since 1991, june 16 has served as the day to draw attention to the ongoing threats to child survival in africa. and to highlight the need to reduce new born and child deaths in africa. according to unicef, 11 million children die each year in subsaharan africa, which is the most heavily impacted region in terms of child mortality, 1.2 million babies will die in the first month of their life each year. an estimated one out of every six african children will never reach their fifth birthday. of the top 10 countries in the world with the highest rates of mortality for children under 5, nine are in africa. unfortunately that figure does not significantly improve as you

look further afield. of the top 50 countries with the highest rates of child mortality, 41 are in africa. but perhaps even more devastating than these figures is the fact that many of these deaths are preventable. . 70% of all child deaths are attributable to six causes, including diarrhea, malaria, neonatal infection, preterm deliverry, and lax -- lack ever ok again at bimpletore than half can be removed through low-cost intervention such as vaccines, antibiotics, bed nets treated for insecticide, and improved family care practices. again with strong political will targeted investments in health systems, and concerted action to confront the underlying causes of these high rates of child mortality, many of these deaths

can be averted. as the resolution indicates, madam speaker, the united states international child survival and maternal health programs have helped save millions of lives in africa and beyond over the past three decades. since 1986 the united states agency for international development, usaid, has provided over $7 billion in assistance. with other international andp private sector partners, the u.s. has succeeded in reducing child deaths from diseases related to diarrhea by 50% since 1990. provided over 100 million immunizations to children each year. and reduced malnutrition among children under the age of 5 by 25%. but much more needs be to be done. for this reason i support h.con.res. 550, and with that i reserve the balance of my time.

the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman reserves. the gentleman from american samoa. mr. faleomavaega: madam speaker, i yield such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. faleomavaega: madam speaker, i want to commend the distinguished chairman of the our subcommittee on africa and health, world health care, and his ranking member, the gentleman from new jersey, mr. smith, not only for their leaderpship but for the tremendous -- leadership but for the tremendous commitment and efforts in trying to help establishing programs that are helpful to the citizens of africa. there are approximately 500 million people that live in africa. and recognizing this as the child -- children of africa to be recognized with the tremendous health problems they are confronted with, this is certainly something our government to me has a moral responsibility that we ought to do what we can to be of assistance. with that i reserve the balance of my time.

the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves the balance of his time. the gentlewoman from florida. ms. ros-lehtinen: madam speaker, i'm proud to yield four minutes to the gentleman from new jersey, mr. smith, the ranking member on the subcommittee on africa and global health. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from new jersey is recognized for four minutes. mr. smith: i thank my good friend, the ranking member, ileana ros-lehtinen, for her leadership. i want to thank my good friend, iny faleomavaega, and of course -- ini faleomavaega, and of course chairman payne, the author of the resolution before us. as ranking member of the subcommittee and co-sponsor of this resolution i share chairman payne's deep and abiding concern regarding child survival which was the theme of this year's event. and for the record i have worked for the past -- most of the last 29 years as a member of congress on child survival initiatives. i began in the early 1980's when the four pillars of child survival and the famous jim grant, the former unicef director, who was a passionate defender of those very low-cost

intervention that is could literally save lives, including vaccinations, oral rehydration therapy, growth monitoring, and breast-feeding which can effectuate miracles in the lives of children and their families. madam speaker, there is a universal recognition that children are our nation's most precious vulnerable citizens who demand every protection and safeguard society can provide. nowhere is this protection and assistance more needed today than on the continent of africa. africa is home to just over 10% of the world's population. yet it accounts for some 44% of all children who die before they reach the age of 5. there are an estimates that some 4.6 million african children under 5 lose their lives each and every year. the circumstances under which a baby is born and the first few days of life outside the mother's womb are critical. in a 2009 save the world's children report, u.n. children's

fund reports that in 2004 the highest rates of neonatal deaths within the first 28 days of after birth occurred in west and central africa at the rate of some 45 per 1,000 live births. eastern and southern africa have the highest rates at 36 neonatal deaths per 1,000 live births. that compares to about three deaths per 1,000 live births in industrialized nations. even within this short window of time, there are great variations in the baby's likelihood of survival. the greatest risk is during the first day after birth when an estimated 25% to 45% of neonatal mortalities occur. almost 3/4 of all neonatal deaths occur within the first week after birth. as unicef points out, a baby's chance of survival are not determined at the moment of birth. report points out and i quote, the health of mothers and

newborns is integrally related. so preventive death requires in many cases implementing the same interventions. among those are adequate nutrition, prenatal care for the unborn child, skilled birth attendance, and access to emergency object stet trick care when necessary. basically we know that we must treat expectant mothers and their unborn children as two patients to ensure the survival and sustainable health of both. therefore the resolution correctly emphasizes the necessity of improving child, newborn, and maternal health in order to ensure child survival in after cafment again i want to thank mr. payne for introducing the resolution. i yield back to my ranking member the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. the gentleman from american samoa is recognized. mr. faleomavaega: madam speaker, i have no further speakers. ms. ros-lehtinen: madam speaker, i have no other speakers. so i yield back the balance of our time.

the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman yields back. mr. faleomavaega: do i want to again commend my good friend from new jersey for his most eloquent statement and commit n-helping our people in africa. and our senior ranking member of our house foreign affairs committee for her support of this legislation. i do yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. the question is, will the house suspend the rules and agree to house resolution 550. so many as are 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 -- the gentlewoman from florida. ms. ros-lehtinen: thank you, madam speaker. i object to the vote on the grounds that a quorum is not present and make a point of order a quorum is not present. the speaker pro tempore: 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 florida rise? for what purpose does the gentleman from american samoa rise? mr. faleomavaega: madam speaker, i move to suspend the rules and agree to the resolution, house resolution 496, as amended. the speaker pro tempore: the clerk will report the title of the resolution. the clerk: house resolution 496, resolution recognizing the 20th anniversary of the fall of the berlin wall. the speaker pro tempore: pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from american samoa, mr. faleomavaega and the the gentlewoman from florida, ms. ros-lehtinen, each will control 20 minutes. the chair recognizes the gentleman from american samoa. mr. faleomavaega: madam speaker, i ask unanimous consent that all members may have five legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on the resolution under consideration. the speaker pro tempore: without

objection. the gentleman is recognized. mr. faleomavaega: madam speaker, first i want to commend our senior ranking member of our house foreign affairs committee and chairman of our committee, mr. berman, for his support of the legislation. and i commend my good friend, the gentleman from texas, as the chief sponsor of this legislation. i rise in strong support of this resolution that recognizes the 20th anniversary of the fall of the berlin wall and i yield myself such time as i may consume. 22 years ago in june, 1987, president ronald reagan spoke at the brandenberg gate and issued the legendary call, and i quote, mr. gorbachev, tear down this wall, end of quote. just over two years later the wall was torn down, chipped away by citizens from both sides of a divided country following months of peaceful protests by brave men and women across east germany. unforgettable to us all are the

pictures broadcast around the world of east and west berliners dancing together atop a wall for over a quarter century symbolized the tension and divisiveness of the cold war. the fall of the berlin wall contributed to a democratic domino effect across warsaw pact region. over the next two years the evolution swept through eastern europe as communist governments were defeated in popular elections while citizens reclaimed their freedoms and democratic liberties. on november 9 the people of germany will commemorate the 20th anniversary of the fall of the berlin wall with a festival of freedom. the united states will happyly -- happily join with the german people in remembering the moving events of that autumn and the democratic era they herald. as president obama recently noted during a speech in moscow, i quote, the arc of history shows that governments who serve their own people survive and thrive. governments which serve their own power do not.

end of quote. this momentous occasion should not be used as a time of try fumfantism. rather it -- triumphantism. rather it is for the progress achieved in europehat is whole, free, and at peace. the changes that have occurred in only two decades are stunning. east and wes germany have reunified into a single strong and prosperous state. 10 countries that previously laid behind the iron curtain have joined the european union and nato. and democratic progress is slowly being achieved across the rest of the form soviet union region. i support this resolution and welcome the opportunity to recognize this significant date in european history, reaffirming the strong ties between the united states and germany, and celebrate the enduring power of democratic freedom and institutions and relate to a free people. with that i reserve the balance

of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves the balance of his time. the gentlewoman from florida is recognized. ms. ros-lehtinen: thank you so much, madam speaker. i'm very pleased to yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from texas, mr. poe, the author of this measure. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from texas is recognized. mr. poe: thank you, madam speaker. i thank the gentlelady from florida for yielding. and the gentleman from american samoa for his support of this resolution, h.res. 496. madam speaker, it started with these words, general secretary gorbachev, if you seek peace, if you seek prosperity for the soviet union and eastern europe, if you seek liberalization, come here to this gate. mr. gorbachev, open this gate. mr. gorbachev, tear down this wall. most everyone has heard these famous words spoken by president ronald reagan on the day he addressed a crowd of about

45,000 people at the brandenberg gate in west berlin, germany. it would be two years late before those fateful words issued that day would actually woman to pass. it happened on the night of november 9 after hearing east german minister of propaganda announce in a live statement that east german citizens now had the right to travel abroad. immediately without delay thousands of east berliners charged toward the border crossings. upon arrival they were met by guards at the checkpoints who, due to the massive numbers of crowds of people, had no choice but to allow these east german citizens to pass-through. and pass-through they did. they charged to freedom through checkpoints including the famous u.s. checkpoint charlie. once across, east germans were greeted by their friends, the west germans, who danced on top of the berlin wall in celebration while others

hammered away at the wall on both sides until a section came down at which point more east germans walked through and shouted, freedom, freedom, just once, freedom. november 9, 1989 was that date. and it did go down in history as an important date for world peace and world liberty. madam speaker, and now today we stand here to recognize the 20th anniversary of the fall of the berlin wall. it continues to live in history not just in the pages of books or in resolutions, but in the hearts and minds of people all over the world that were freed that night because that wall came down. they will continue to remember and celebrate that day, democracy, freedom of the people, triumph over communism. the day the berlin wall fell and was torn down. and that's just the way it is. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yield back.

the gentleman from american samoa. mr. faleomavaega: madam speaker, that's just the way it is. i commend my good friend from texas for his most eloquent statement and in support of his resolution. i have no additional speakers at this time. . i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves. the gentlewoman. ms. ros-lehtinen: thank you, madam speaker. i yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman is recognized. ms. ros-lehtinen: thank you. the berlin wall has fallen, germany will be reunited, the communist regimes in east germany and across east europe are falling. for decades during the cold war, to hear those words spoken was the greatest hope and the most beautiful dream of millions of people living behind the iron curtain. today that hope and that dream are indeed a reality. but we ought to recall why they were so powerful for so many people in those days. perhaps some of us have not given thought for some time to

the powerful image from the night of november 9, 1989, when thousands of people in east berlin pushed past overwhelmed border guards at the berlin wall and began tearing down the concrete and barbed wire barrier. their expressions of joy as they embraced friends, family and even strangers on the other side of that wall indeed moved us all who witnessed it. why were all those people so desperate for freedom on that night almost 20 years ago? well, the oppressive totalitarian aspect of communist east germany had been clearly articulated by the long time leader of that regime and. in his favorite saying, it has to look democratic but we must have everything under our control. so while claiming to be democratic, the communists had in 1961 begun to literally wall in their own citizens. that regime began constructing

the berlin wall in dead of night on august 12, 1961. behind the new prison wall in berlin and across all of east germany the regime's secret police worked to infiltrate every institution and everyone's personal lives, creating an atmosphere of mistrust, oppression and insecurity among the people in east germany. under that totalitarian rule there were at least 15 separate definitions of who was an enemy of the state. many living in east berlin and east germany were so desperate to escape to freedom that they risked their lives in these attempts. over the years a total of 238 people were killed while trying to escape to the west, 120 were injured and approximately 100,000 were arrested and sent to prison for their attempts. however on november 9, 1989,

just as the construction of the berlin wall in august, 1961, marked the beginning of the communist consolidation of power, so did the destruction of the berlin wall in november, 1989, marked the beginning of the collapse of the east german communist regime and ultimately the collapse of the soviet union itself. with this resolution we commemorate november 9, 1989, as the day when freedom so clearly broke free of oppression. we honor the brave men and women who lost their lives in the pursuit of liberty. i urge my colleagues to support passage of this important resolution. i commend my colleague, my friend from texas, for his introduction, and with that i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman yields the balance of her time. the gentleman is recognized. mr. faleomavaega: madam speaker, i also do not have any further

speakers at this time and i also yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. the question is, will the house suspend the rules and agree to house resolution 496 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 -- mr. poe: madam speaker. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is texas is recognized. mr. poe: 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 nouncement, further proceedings on this motion will be post uponned. -- postponed. for what purpose does the gentleman from american samoa rise? mr. faleomavaega: madam speaker,

i move to suspend the rules and agree to house resolution 675. the speaker pro tempore: the clerk will report the title of the resolution. the clerk: house resolution 675, resolution condemning the july 17, 2009, terrorist bombings in indonesia, and expressing condolences to the people of indonesia and the various other countries suffering casualties in the attacks. the speaker pro tempore: pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from american samoa, mr. faleomavaega, and the gentlewoman from florida, ms. ros-lehtinen, each will control 20 minutes. the chair recognizes the gentleman from american samoa. mr. faleomavaega: madam speaker, i ask unanimous consent that all members may have five legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on the resolution under consideration. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. mr. faleomavaega: madam speaker, i rise in strong support of the resolution and at this time i will yield as much time as the gentleman, my good friend, the chief sponsor of this resolution, to now address the

chamber, the gentleman from north carolina, mr. price. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from north carolina is recognized. mr. price: thank you, madam speaker. and thanks to the distinguished chairman of the subcommittee for his work on h.res. 675, which i'm proud to rise in support of. it's a message of solidarity to the people of indonesia. i want to first thank the leadership of the committee on foreign affairs and the asia pacific subcommittee in particular for their leadership on this issue. in putting this resolution forward on behalf of the house democracy assistance commission, mr. dreier and i have worked closely with the committee leadership and staff as well as the leadership of the indonesia caucus, mr. wexler and mr. burton of indiana. a week ago last friday, july 17, two terrorists detonated suicide bombs inside two hotels in the central business district of djakarta. killing themselves and seven others and wounding over 50. it was the first successful

attack in indonesia since 2005 and it comes at a time when the country has made substantial progress in the fight against terrorism. the attackers appear to have been targeting a conference of western businessmen meeting at the marriott and citizens of over a dozen countries, including eight americans, were injured in these horrific attacks. the majority of the victims were indonesian citizens going peacefully about their daily affairs. for my colleagues and me, these attacks hit pretty close to home because our commission had visited djakarta just two weeks before to continue. -- to continue the partnership we've been forging with them since 2006. we met with parliamentary leaders along with a number of newly elected members, discussing their progress toward democratic reforms during this time of political transition in indonesia. in light of this productive and

mutually enriching partnership, it's fitting that a delegation from the indonesian equivalent of our house administration committee is visiting the house today and tomorrow for two days of meetings arranged by the house democracy assistance commission. led by chairwoman the delegation is here to meet with our foreign affairs committee as well as our house administration committee and chief administrative officer to discuss how to implement and manage an effective human resources system in their parliament. now this may not grab any headlines, but it's this type of partnership that will help build the foundations of stable -- of a stable and prosperous democracy in the years ahead. and so, madam speaker, we offer this resolution today to extend our condolences to our guests and all the people of indonesia and all the other countries suffering casualties in these attacks, to condemn these

senseless acts of terrorism in the strongest possible terms and to reaffirm our commitment to the strengthening of democratic institutions and the promotion of peace, prosperity and tolerance in indonesia. i urge my colleagues to support this resolution. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves. the gentlewoman from florida is recognized. ms. ros-lehtinen: thank you, madam speaker. i yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman is recognized. ms. ros-lehtinen: thank you. i rise today in strong support of house resolution 675, the suicide bombings of the marriott and the ritz carlton hotels in the central business district of djakarta, indonesia, left at least seven people dead and an estimated 50 persons wounded. djakarta's marriott hotel, of course, was the site of a previous car bomb attack in the year 2003. this was followed by suicide bombings on the resort island of

bali in 2005. the fact that no attacks occurred for the following four years in indonesia until the events of july 17, is a testimony to the government and security forces of indonesia who have proved stalwart partners in the global war on terrorism. the djakarta bombings have been linked to an indonesia-based islamic militant organization with ties to al qaeda. it had been inactive for the past several years due to the comprehensive work of the security forces of indonesia. the fact that it is once again able to carry out attacks is cause for concern for us all. if j.i. is back today, al qaeda could be back tomorrow. the selection of sites in the international business district of djakarta shows the clear intent of the perpetrators to spread fear in the international community and to disrupt commercial enterprise between

indonesia's still expanding economy and its international business partners. well, the congress has a message for these militants. we will continue to stand with indonesia and its people during this most difficult time. we salute the brave people of indonesia. together we can defeat this international scourge of the 21st century, the hidden weapon of the suicide bomber. i urge my colleagues it to strongly support this resolution and i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman reserves the balance of her time. the gentleman from american samoa. mr. faleomavaega: madam speaker, i yield yield -- yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. faleomavaega: again, i want to commend my good friend, the gentleman from north carolina, mr. price, as co-chair with our good friend and colleague, mr. dreier from california, in this house democracy assistance commission and do want to commend them for the tremendous

job that they're doing in promoting democratic principles throughout the world, among countries that think that lends to give our support. this resolution condemns the two terrorist bombings in indonesia on july 17, 2009, and expresses condolences to the people of indonesia and other countries who were killed and injured by the attacks. i want to thank my friend, again, mr. price, for sponsoring this important resolution that allows the house to voice its strong support for indonesia and its people after this horrific terrorist attacks in djakarta. shortly before 58 a.m. in the morning, on july 17, a bomb ripped through the lobby of the marriott hotel in djakarta. minutes later a second bomb sploted in nearby ritz carlton hotel. the twin bombings killed nine people, including the two suicide bombers and wounded over 50 others. i would like to certainly express my condolences and sympathies to both the families

who lost their loved ones in the attacks that morning and to those who were injured. i'd also like to condemn in the strongest terms possible the senseless act of violence committed against innocent people by vicious suicide terrorists. the majority of the victims were indonesian citizens, although citizens from a number of other countries also suffered casualties. the two bombings served as a stark reminder to all of us that the threat of terrorism remains very real. it also reminds us that the world must continue to work together to confront violent extremists who would kill innocent people. the united states will continue to work with indonesia and other countries to combat terrorism and to promote a common vision for a more peaceful and prosperous future for all of the world's citizens. madam speaker, i urge my colleagues to support this legislation and i also want to commend the recent presidential

election which -- in indonesia, that was held and that the president was elected by a margin of over 60% of the voters. indonesia with a -- with 225 million people. the largest, most populous muslim nation in the world has demonstrated to the world that democracy can function quite well even if a muslim country and certainly want to -- even in a muslim country and certainly want to commend the leaders for achieving this degree of democracy and how they've delved their government from time -- developed their government from times past. with that i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves the balance of his time. the gentlewoman from florida. ms. ros-lehtinen: thank you, madam speaker. i have no further requests for time and i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman yields back. mr. faleomavaega: i again thank my good friend, the gentlelady from florida, and i also yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time.

the question is, will the house suspend the rules and agree to house resolution 675. those in favor say aye. those opposed, no. in the opinion of the chair, 2/3 of those voting having responded in the affirmative -- ms. ros-lehtinen: madam speaker. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman is recognized. ms. ros-lehtinen: thank you, madam speaker. i object to the vote on the grounds that a quorum is not present and i make a point of order that a quorum is not present. the speaker pro tempore: pursuant to clause 8 of rule 20 and the chair's prior announcement, further proceedings on this motion will be postponed. . the speaker pro tempore: the clerk will report the title of the resolution. the clerk: house concurrent resolution 159, concurrent resolution recognizing the fifth anniversary of the declaration by the united states congress of genocide in darfur, sudan. the speaker pro tempore: pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from american samoa, mr. faleomavaega, and the gentlewoman from florida, ms. ros-lehtinen, will each control 20 minutes. the chair recognizes the

gentleman from american samoa. mr. faleomavaega: i ask unanimous consent that all members may have five legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on the resolution under consideration. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, the gentleman is recognized. mr. faleomavaega: madam speaker, i rise in strong support of this resolution and yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. faleomavaega: i would like to thank again my good friend, the gentlelady from florida, for introducing this important resolution commemorating the historic declaration by congress of genocide in darfur. on this day we remember reports from sudan of bombardments of civilians, of the army of proxy force, razing of villages, and poisoning of wells, looting and murder and rape. madam speaker, five years later much progress has been made but there are miles yet to go. the united states is engaged in rigorous and competitive -- comprehensive efforts to bring peace to sudan. it is imperative we not lose

sight of the importance of supporting the comprehensive peace agreement that we do everything we can to support the national census and upcoming elections and that we help the displaced to return when possible. i join my colleagues in anxious anticipation of the administration's forthcoming comprehensive strategy for sue -- sudan and look forward to speaking this week with president special envoy to sudan about steps we can take to ensure that sudan can break what has been a tragic cycle of violence in this part of the world. with that i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves the balance of his time. the gentlewoman from florida is recognized. ms. ros-lehtinen: thank you, madam speaker. i yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman is recognized. ms. ros-lehtinen: thank you. madam speaker. on july 22, 2004, the united states senate and the u.s. house of representatives united to unanimously declare that the atrocities unfolding in the darfur region of sudan

constitute genocide. never before have the congress made such a declaration while the atrocities were occurring. but confronted with irrefutable evidence of a systemic campaign of ethnic cleansing, directed by the sudanese regime and their proxy forces against the african tribes of darfur, we were compelled to act. the scene in darfur was all too familiar. there was the manipulation of ethnic and tribal tensions, the arming of proxy forces, aerial bombardment of civilians, razing of villages, forced displacement, mass murder, abduction, looting, tore tue, and rape. -- torture, and rape. these were the tactics khartoum used during its booedy war in southern sudan which lasted over 20 years and left over two million people dead and another four million displaced.

these were the tactics the sudanese regime used to stay in power. recalling the horrors of the gas chambers of the holocaust, the killing fields of cambodia, the mass graves of sensenbrenner sensenbrenner -- sue brenga, and the bloody streets of rwanda we sought real meaning behind the words, never again. on september 9, 2004, then secretary of state colin powell concurred with the congress asserting, quote, congress has been committed in darfur and the government of sudan and the janjaweed bear responsibility, end quote. unfortunately others did not share our sense of urgency. five long years have since passed and while the situation on the ground in darfur has changed since the year 2004, the crisis continues. the house of representatives has passed no fewer than 34 bills and resolutions relating to

sudan since 2004, including the comprehensive peace for sudan act of 2004, the darfur peace and accountability act of 2006, and the darfur accountability and divestment act of 2008. the united states has led efforts at the united nations to get fully equipped, credible, peacekeeping forces deployed both to darfur and to southern sudan. we remain the largest international donor and have contributed more than $3 billion for humanitarian programs in sudan and eastern chad since fiscal year 2004. in addition to more than $2 billion in peacekeeping assistance since fiscal year 2008. we have sanctioned and threatened the sudanese regime. we have helped secure peace albeit a tenuous peace in southern sudan. when i visited the camps for

displaced persons in darfur and met with leaders in southern sudan in 2007, i promised that i would remain an advocate for peace in sudan. and while we have pressing concerns both here at home and beyond, i have sought to keep my word. for this reason i stand today to ask my colleagues to support house concurrent resolution 159. this timely resolution solemnly recognizes the fifth anniversary of the declaration of the united states congress of genocide in darfur, sudan, while expressing regret that this determination has yet to yield effective action on the part of the united nations and other nations which maintain significant influence in sudan, including china and certain members of the arab league. it urges the administration to work with other responsible nations to ensure an end to the conflict in darfur and full

implementation of the comprehensive peace agreement for sudan. it urges states of the united nations to provide sufficient resources to support the deployment of a fully capacitated african union, united nations mission in darfur, including by supplying required tact beical and utility helicopters -- tactical and utility helicopters. finally, madam saker, it urges the parties to the conflict in darfurrer to stop their attacks -- darfur to stop their attacks on humanitarian and peacekeeping operations and fully commit to finding a political solution without further delay. with national elections due this year, and violence on the rise, the stakes could not be higher. the time for action is now. i urge my colleagues to support this important and timely measure. madam speaker, i reserve the balance of my time.

the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman reserves the balance of her time. the gentleman from american samoa is recognized. mr. faleomavaega: again, madam speaker, do i commend the gentlelady from florida for her -- i do commend the gentlelady from florida for her leadership and commitment in not only introducing this legislation from years past. she has never let down in her efforts to make sure we take corrective action to address the serious needs of the people of darfur. i have no further speakers. madam speaker, i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves. ms. ros-lehtinen: thank you, madam speaker. i'd like to tell my good friend from american samoa that we have two speakers to go. if he would continue to reserve. madam speaker, i yield now four minutes to the gentleman from new jersey, mr. smith, the ranking member on the subcommittee on africa and global health. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from new jersey is recognized for four minutes. mr. smith: madam speaker, thank you very much. i want to commend our ranking member for authoring this

important resolution to mark the tragic fifth anniversary of the declaration by the united states congress that the systematic violence, killing, and displacement of millions in darfur, sudan, constitutes genocide. madam speaker, president bashir has proven once again that he considers the people of darfur to be merely pawns and throw aways in a shameless game that he is playing with the international community. the gulf between his actions and his words is as wide as the callous attitude that i encountered when i met with and argued with him personally in khartoum. and the desperate deeply grieved look on the faces of the refugees i met in the i.d.p. camps in darfur, during our meetings general bashir showed no remorse whatsoever for inflicting unspeakable pain,

death, displacement, and destitution on large numbers of people. today as we know some over 300,000 to upwards of 450,000 darfurries have been killed and three million have been displace interested their homes. this is in addition to some two million killed and four million displaced in southern sudan in the aggression that immediately preceded the killings in darfur. for all of our efforts in this congress, madam speaker, the suffering continues five years after that recognition that what was taking place in darfur was indeed genocide. the signing of the darfur peace agreement in may of 2006 and the deployment of a joint african union u.n. peacekeeping mission has not stopped the violence, much less ushered in the long-term peace for which the people of darfur so desperately long. the country of sudan is going

through a critical time that will have serious implications for darfur as well as other regions of the country. last week the permanent court of arbitration in the hague issued a ruling with respect to the boundary dispute in awaya, one of the major points of contention between north and south. national elections which were supposed to be held this month have been postponed until april of 2010. although these developments do not involve darfur directly, a resolution of the conflict in darfur is dependent on the complete and peaceful implementation of the comprehensive peace agreement between north and south. over the past five years, madam speaker, and even before that, the profound bipartisan congressional concern has not diminished, nor has it abated. tomorrow the africa subcommittee will hold a hearing on the africa -- on the global peace -- comprehensive peace agreement.

on thursday the tom lantos human rights commission will do likewise. and the senate foreign relations committee has slated a hearing on it on thursday. this week we will also hear from general scott gfment raytian, the special envoy to sudan. during which time we'll hear further details about the administration's strategy in trying to mitigate and hopefully end this despicable violence in darfur. this is a very important resolution, madam speaker. i hope the full membership of this house will support it. i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. the gentleman from american samoa. mr. faleomavaega: madam speaker, i continue to reserve my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves the balance of his time of the the gentlewoman from florida is recognized. ms. ros-lehtinen: thank you, madam speaker. i'm so pleased to yield four minutes to the gentleman from kansas, mr. moran, with whom i have the honor of traveling to sudan in the year 2007. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from kansas is recognized for four minutes. mr. moran: thank you. i thank the gentlewoman from

florida for recognizing me, or allowing me the time this evening. it is important in life to call things what they are. five years ago congress did the right thing by calling what was happening in darfur genocide. in 2007 i did travel with the gentlewoman from florida and others to darfur and saw genocide and its consequences firsthand. sticks with me today. malnourished children, family members mourning the loss of loved ones, people without homes, disease, and despair in refugee camps. but whether or not one has been to darfur, we know what is happening there. and those of us that have seen it have the obligation to tell the story. while calling the killing and violence genocide is a first and necessary step, we must do more. our responsibility as human beings extends beyond properly recognizing the atrocities as genocide. as witnesses to genocide, we and

all nations are obligated to take every necessary step to end the loss of life. so today i sadly rise five years after congress declared genocide in darfur knowing that peace does not yet prevail. regrettably we are here again passing this resolution to once more call on other nations to join us in taking steps to bring about lasting peace and to preserve the life of other human beings. the time to act was long ago. and i again urge a strong -- as strongly as i know how for the united nations and countries with significant influence in sudan, including china and certain members of the arab league torques fully commit to helping end -- league, to fully commit to helping end the atrocities in darfur. it is important to recognize genocide for what it is, but it is even more important we stop genocide from taking place. the world has said, never again.

the world must mean it. in visiting the holocaust museum here in washington, d.c., i was reminded of an earlier genocide. while there i saw the wall of honor recognizing those who placed their own lives at risk to save the lives of jews. . may we be brave enough to deserve such recognition today in stopping the genocide of today. madam speaker, i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. the gentleman from american samoa is recognized. mr. faleomavaega: madam speaker, i have no further speakers and i continue to reserve. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves. the gentlewoman from florida. ms. ros-lehtinen: i have no further requests for time and i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman yields back. mr. faleomavaega: with that, madam speaker, i also yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back.

the question is, will the house suspend the rules and agree to house concurrent resolution 159. 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 -- ms. ros-lehtinen: madam speaker. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman from florida i recognized. rots ross -- ms. ros-lehtinen: i object to the vote on the grounds that a quorum is not present and i make a point of order that a quorum is not present. the speaker pro tempore: pursuant to clause 8 of rule 20 and the chair's prior announcement, further proceedings on this motion will be postponed. the chair will receive a message. the messenger: madam speaker, a message from the senate. imagine imagine i have been directed by the senate to inform the house that the senate has passed -- the secretary: mr. speaker. the speaker pro tempore: ms. secretary. the secretary: i have been directed by the senate to inform the house that the snass has passed and which the concurrent of the house is requested.

the chair lays before the house the following personal requests. the clerk: leave of absence requested today for mr. clyburn of south carolina. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, the requests are granted. for what purpose does the gentleman from texas rise? mr. poe: madam speaker, i ask unanimous consent that today following legislative business and any special orders heretofore entered into, the following members may be permitted to address this house, revise and extend their remarks and include therein extraneous material. ms. ros-lehtinen for today, mr. forbes for july 29, mr. paul for july 29, 30 and 31.

the speaker pro tempore: without objection. for what purpose does the gentlelady from nevada rise? ms. berkley: madam speaker, i ask unanimous consent that today following legislative business and any special orders heretofore entered into, the following members may be permitted to address the house for five minutes, to revise and extend their remarks and include therein extraneous material. ms. woolsey of california, ms. berkley of nevada, ms. kaptur of ohio, mr. davis of illinois. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. ms. berkley: i ask unanimous consent -- consent to claim ms. woolsey's time. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, the gentlewoman from nevada is recognized. ms. berkley: thank you, madam speaker. nevada has been a boom state for as long as i can remember. my family has been there for 46 years and with every passing year more and more people moved in and more and more people flourished in a very strong economy.

but when the bust came it came with a vengeance and i'm afraid that the state of nevada, like many other states in this country, and many other countries in the world, are suffering as in the midst of an economic crisis. we have the highest morgue foreclosure rate in the country in my congressional district and i have one of the highest unemployment rates and what makes this so startling is perhaps a year ago there was virtually no unemployment in my district and in the state of nevada. there's been a lot of criticism about the stimulus package. the called the recovery act, more commonly known as the stimulus package. people say it's not big enough, people say it's not fast enough and that it's not working. but i have to tell you, the people of nevada have received extraordinary benefits from this stimulus package. there was a reason that i voted for it. it provided education funding, unemployment benefits, health care benefits, tax breaks, social security money for my seniors and my disabled veterans

received substantial funds as well. now according to the nevada state treasurer, $426 million in stimulus funds has already been paid out to people in nevada. that doesn't include the tax cuts, the social security payments or the payments to our disabled veterans. money is flowing into nevada and it's keeping many families afloat during this economic crisis and it's an economic crisis the likes of which none of us have ever seen and none of us ever thought would happen. but let me tell you in real terms how this stimulus package is benefiting the folks back home. tax cuts, making work pay tax credit, i know you recall, madam speaker, that there were $400 for individuals, $800 for families, 95% of american families and individuals are already seeing a decrease in their with holding in their

paychecks. one million families in nevada are getting -- are seeing more money in their monthly paycheck because of this stimulus package. at a time that this money is so desperately needed. 118,000 nevada families are going to benefit from the child tax credit expansion. american opportunity college tax credits, there's a new $2,500 tax credit that's going to help 32,000 nevadans go to college. i know what it's like when you don't have money to go to college and you have to take out loans and grants. this is going to help kids like me that went to school and depended on these loans and grants. alternative minimum tax, 31,000 people in my district would have been slammed by the alternative minimum tax if the stimulus package had not been passed and there's tax relief for businesses -- business as well. whether you're a large casino or a small business in the state of nevada, we provided relief for

you. cancellation of indebtedness, bonus depreciation, small business expensing. for most of us we don't understand what that is but for small business people and businesses in general, this is their very life blood and we've saved thousands of nevada's small businesses from going under. unemployment insurance, with an unemployment rate of over 12.5% and going higher, we haven't bottomed out yet, the very fact that we were able to provide unemployment benefits, extension of unemployment benefits, and expansion so that nevada families that find themselves unemployed for the first time ever are going to be able to use this as a bridge to get from where they are now to where we need to be. health care, so many of my constituents, the very poorest of us depend on medicaid money. the state of nevada had no medicaid money.

the federal government came in and helped the state of nevada so that we can continue to provide health care for the poorest among us. and education, we all talk about the importance of education and how it is the most important thing that we can provide children for the future and for the future of this country. well, nevada was broke. the state legislature couldn't figure out where we were going to get the money. and the federal government came to our rescue. $400 million in fiscal stabilization funds. what is that? that means we're going to prevent teacher layoffs and other cuts. we were restoring the money that was/ed by the nevada legislature. $70 million in special education, $70 million in disadvantaged student funding. these were so important for the people of nevada. so important for our school chirp. and when things get tough and people are laid off, the first thing that fwer -- they're going to need is food stamps in order to feed their families and i know that my time is almost up, but there are three things that

are so important. a $250 one-time payment to all social security beneficiaries, that's 100,000 people in nevada, will benefit from that. veterans, $250 one-time payment to disabled veterans, 18,000 veterans in nevada will benefit from that. and infrastructure funding as well, $200 million will be spent in nevada on infrastructure, $33 million is flood control projects and rest is going to go to the regional transportation commission to continue to improve our infrastructure. all very important. the people of the state of nevada need to know this and i appreciate the fact that this body passed that legislation. i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman yields back. the chair recognizes mr. jones from north carolina. mr. jones: madam speaker, i ask unanimous consent that i might speak for five minutes. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized for five minutes. mr. jones: madam speaker, last

week on the house floor i mentioned a column that appeared july 19, 2009, in the "raleigh news observer" entitled from vietnam 1959 to afghanistan 2009. the column was written by joseph galway, a military journalist and co-author of a book on vietnam called "we were soldiers once and young." in his clol um, gal way uses the history lessons of vietnam as a cautionary tail propresident obama as he oversees america's military involvement in iraq and afghanistan. galway described a time during the war in vietnam in 1965 when secretary of defense robert mcnamara presented lyndon johnson, president, with a top secret memo. it indicated that the united states had reached a decision point with two available options. the first option was to arrange diplomatic cover and pull out of south vietnam. the second option was to increase the number of american troops by 200,000, bringing the

total to more than 500,000 americans on the ground. regarding this second option, mcnamara stated, all we can possibly achieve is a military stalemate at a much higher level of violence. a couple of weeks later, johnson assembled what he called the wise men for a brainstorming session on vietnam. yet those who participated said there was no real decision on mcnamara's option one from that time when johnson chose to escalate and continue the war until its conclusion, 10 years later, americans suffered 56,000 more casualties. madam speaker, president obama's administration has reached a decision point concerning afghanistan. with regard to the obama administration escalation of troops in afghanistan, galway states and i quote, some smart veterans of both iraq and afghanistan on the ground now are just by say that at this rate we will inevitably lose the war in afghanistan.

that the situation on the ground now is far worse than iraq was at its lowest point in 2006 and early 2007. the talk of the costly effort both in lives and national treasure that would stretch out past the obama administration and maybe the two administrations after that. in his column, he advises, and i quote again, obama needs to call in the wise men and women for official cut date meeting. let's hope that this time around there's an absence of the arrogance and certainty of previous generations of advisors, let's hope, too, that they will weigh very carefully all the cost of another decade or two of the war in afghanistan. madam speaker, after nearly eight years of u.s. military operation in afghanistan, the president needs to outline a clear strategy for victory. i've spoken to many in the army and marine corps who say our nation needs an end point to its

war strategy. while america's military personnel faithfully conduct their missions abroad, elected officials here in washington should take seriously their responsibility to develop a viable long-term strategy for these operations. many of these service members have gone to iraq and afghanistan more than once and their desire to serve this nation is greater than ever. but the stress placed on our all-volunteer force and their families cannot continue forever. while the united states continued to devote its blood and treasure in afghanistan, the afghan government has yet to purge itself of many who funnel support for the taliban. our men and women in uniform deserve to have the president work with his military commanders and the congress to develop the best strategy for achieving our goals and wrapping up our military commitment in afghanistan. madam speaker, as i do every night that i have the opportunity and privilege to speak on the floor of the house, my heart aches, i have signed

over 8,000 letters to families in afghanistan and iraq, lost loved ones in iraq and afghanistan, because i regret i voted to give the president the authority to go into iraq. madam speaker, because of that, i want to close this way, i ask god to please bless our men and women in uniform, i ask god to please bless the families of our men amend women in uniform, i ask god in his loving arms to hold the families who have given a child dying for freedom in afghanistan and iraq. and three times, madam speaker, because america need the love of god, i close this way, god, please, god, please, god, please continue to bless america. with that i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. under the speaker's announced policy of january 6, 2009, and under a previous order of the house, the following members are recognized for five minutes each. mr. poe of texas. mr. poe:eq