the speaker pro tempore: the yeas are 401. the nays zero. 2/3 of those voting having responded in the affirmative shall the rules are suspended, the resolution is agreed to, and without objection the motion to reconsider is laid upon the table. without objection, the chair appoints the conferees on h.r. 3288. the speaker pro tempore: messrs. olver, pastor, ms. kaptur, mr. price of north carolina, ms. roybal-allard, mr. berry, ms. kilpatrick of michigan, mrs. lowey, messrs. obey, latham, wolf, tiahrt, wamp, and lewis of california. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from massachusetts rise? >> good afternoon, mr. speaker, i move that the house suspend the rules and pass the bill h.r. 3951.

the speaker pro tempore: the clerk will report the title of the bill. the clerk: h.r. 395 1, a bill to designate the facility of the united states postal service located at 2000 louisiana avenue in new orleans, louisiana, as the roy rondeno, sr. post office building. the speaker pro tempore: pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from massachusetts, mr. lynch, and the gentleman from louisiana, mr. cow, -- cao, will each control 20 minutes. the chair recognizes the gentleman from massachusetts. mr. lynch: i ask unanimous consent that all members may have five legislative days to revise and extend their remarks even add any extraneous materials. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. mr. lynch: i yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman will suspend. could we have conversations removed from the floor. the gentleman is recognized. mr. lynch: mr. speaker, as chairman of the house of the subcommittee with jurisdiction over the united states postal service, i am pleased to present h.r. 3951 for

consideration. this legislation will designate the united states postal service facility located at 2000 louisiana avenue in new orleans, louisiana, as the roy rondeno, sr. post office building. introduced by my colleague, representative cao of louisiana on october 28, 2009, and reported out of the oversight and government reform committee on november 18, 2009, by unanimous consent h.r. 3951 enjoys the support of the entire louisiana house delegation. a native of new orleans, louisiana, roy rondeno, sr., served his beloved community as a dedicated employees of the united states postal service for over 30 years. notably he worked at the united states postal service facility at uptown station located at 2000 louisiana avenue in new orleans the very facility that we seek to designate in his

honor. the true embodiment of the old adage that neither rain nor snow snore sleet will keep a postman from completing his rounds, he was widely known as a dedicated and beof loved letter carrier who would never fail to deliver even the smallest package in pouring rain. as noted by the new orleans times picayune newspaper, mr. residents along mr. rondeno's route had formed a close relationship with this letter carrier and described him as a charismatic man who always had a kind word for everyone, according to his friend and uptown resident, susan, he not only delivered the mail every day but rather also delivered, quote a. little piece of himself. and connected with everyone on his route. another uptown resident further describes him as an exceptional human being a. great letter carrier, and real credit to his profession. the extent of his serve was never more evident than on september 26 of this year. mr. rondeno volunteered to work

on his day off given the uptown station lacked enough letter carriers to cover the day's route. as mr. rondeno was sorting mail in the back of his truck, he was struck by a car and tragically lost both his legs as a result of the accident. the outpouring of support for mr. rondeno and his family that followed his hospitalization stands as a true testament to his standing in uptown, new orleans, as a model of public servant and community member. notably local community leaders properly established a donation fund to assist him in his recovery and signs of support for the letter carrier could be seen hanging in a variety of local storefronts along his route. regrettably on october 2 only six days after this accident, mr. rondeno died from heart failure during surgery. he was only 57 years old at the time of his death. he had planned on retiring from the postal service early next

year. so as to focus his attention on serving his new orleans community in a different capacity. through an outreach ministry that he recently founded with his beloved wife. as noted by acting louisiana district manager, peter scrow, upon his passing, roy was a dedicated postal employee who wore his uniform proudly. everybody who knew him agreed he had a tremendous work ethic and always worked to provide the best service to his customers and the postal service. mr. speaker, while mr. rondeno is no longer with us, his memory will live on through his wife, his three sons, and all those who were fortunate enough to know this dedicated and hardworking public servant. mr. speaker, it is my hope that we can pay tribute to the life and legacy to mr. roy rondeno, sr. through the passage of this legislation to designate the uptown postal facility in his honor. i urge all my colleagues to join us and mr. cao the chief

sponsor of this measure in supporting h.r. 3951. i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves. the gentleman from louisiana. mr. cao: thank you, mr. speaker. i yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. cao: mr. speaker, i rise today in support of h.r. 3951, to designate the uptown post office building located at 2000 louisiana avenue in new orleans, louisiana, in honor of roy rondeno, sr. a 34-year usps letter carrier and military veteran who was the epitome of a loyal and beloved public servant and community member. in late september, 2009, while working on his day off because the postal service was short staffed, mr. rondeno was sorting through mail in the back of his truck when he was hit by a car. the vehicle blew through a stop sign and critically injured him.

six days later on october 2, 2009, he died from heart failure during surgery a few weeks short of his plan to retire and spend time with his family and recently founded outreach ministry. mr. rondeno, a native of new orleans, louisiana, lived and worked at the usps uptown station in new orleans. he was known as a dedicated, charismatic, and beloved letter carrier. survivors include his wife, shirley, and sons richard of houston, ryan of los angeles, and roy junior. mr. rondeno's accident and subsequent death came as a complete shock to those whom he loyally and lovingly served for and with during the past 37 years. the emergence and community members whom he served established a donation fund in his honor and organized a block party to raise funds for his

family. shortly thereafter the community members and louisiana district postal employees asked that we dedicate this post office in his honor. according to "the times-picayune," those whom mr. rondeno served said they formed a close bont with him and described him as a happy man with a kind word for everyone and a dutiful postman who introduced himself to new residents. never delivered junk mail addressed to previous tenants and would stand outside in pouring rain to deliver even the smallest package. as one constituent, susan, expressed to "the times-picayune" regarding his service and passion for those whom he served, to have that competency with someone who doesn't have his head down and drop mail in his box, he connected with everyone on his

route. and they connected with him. to those whom he served, mr. rondeno was a great letter carrier, civil servant, new orleansian, american veteran and friend. to those he leaves behind, he was a loyal and loving husband, father, brother, uncle, and friend. i am proud of his service to the postal service, the united states military, and the citizens of new orleans. and i am proud to dedicate this post office in his honor. a constituent said to the times picayune the outpouring of grief on the part of hundreds of people following roy's death should teach us that we do not need to know others intimately to positively impact their lives. here was a kind, humbling, -- humble, and consciencious man who made each and every person

whose path he crossed feel a little happier, a little more connected to the human race after his daily passing. no one could have left us a finer legacy. he was beloved by the community, his colleagues, and his wonderful family. and i can't think of no greater way to honor him than to dedicate the uptown post office located at 2000 louisiana avenue in new orleans, louisiana, in his name as a reminder for all who go there of the dedication and passion of this public servant. thank you, mr. speaker. i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves the balance of his time. the gentleman from massachusetts. mr. lynch: mr. speaker, we have no further speakers at this time. but we continue to reserve. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from louisiana. mr. cao: mr. speaker, i urge all members to support the passage of h.r. 395 1. i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back the

balance of his time. the gentleman from massachusetts. mr. lynch: mr. speaker, in closing i again urge our colleagues to join mr. cao, the principal author of this bill, and all our colleagues in supporting house 3951. i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. all time has expired. the question is will the house suspend the rules and pass h.r. 3951. 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 are suspended -- mr. cao: i request the yeas and nays. the speaker pro tempore: the yeas and nays are requested. all those in favor of taking this vote by the yeas and nays will rise and remain standing until counted. a sufficient number having arisen, the yeas and nays are ordered. pursuant to clause 8 of rule 20 and the chair's prior announcement, further proceedings on this motion will be postponed. for what purpose does the gentleman from massachusetts rise? mr. lynch: mr. speaker, i move to suspend the rules and pass h.r. 4017. the speaker pro tempore: the clerk will report the title of the bill. the clerk: h.r. 4017, a bill to designate the facility of the

united states postal service located at 43 maple avenue in shrewsbury, massachusetts, as the ann marie blute post office. the speaker pro tempore: pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from massachusetts, mr. lynch, and the gentleman from louisiana, mr. cao, will each control 20 minutes. the chair recognizes the gentleman from massachusetts. mr. lynch: thank you, mr. speaker. i ask unanimous consent that all members may have five legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and add any extraneous materials. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. mr. lynch: i yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. lynch: mr. speaker, at this time i would like to recognize the chief sponsor of this measure, mr. mcgovern from massachusetts, for five minutes. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from massachusetts is recognized for five minutes. mr. mcgovern: thank you very much. i thank the gentleman for yielding. mr. speaker, i am proud today to rise in support of h.r. 4017, to rename the post office at 43 maple avenue in shrewsbury, massachusetts, as the ann marine blute post

office. she was a beloved and active member of the tight knit community located in my district. she passed away on may 1 of this year after suffering a stroke and she's dearly missed by her family and all who knew her. mrs. blute was a true pillar of her community. her life revolved around helping others, especially children. she once told her son, joseph, that all she ever wanted to be was a mother. along with her husband, she did just that, raising 11 wonderful children, including former congressman peter blute. she took great pride in watching her children and later her 23 grandchildren and four great grandchildren thrive and prosper. what truly distinguished her, however, is that she was not only a mother to her own children, but she was also a mother figure to so many of the children she came in contact with through her volunteer work. mrs. blute had a deep and

unwavering passion for social justice and committed herself to helping the sick and pour. the diversity of her community work is truly impressive. she volunteered with the nazareth home for boys which provide stable housing and a nurturing environment for young boys in difficult times. she also worked with the mustard seed that offers who meals to the homeless. a devout roman catholic she was especially active in st. mary's church where she served in the women's guilt and teacher and eucharistic minister. one of her proudest moments came in 1994 when colonel john jay could he connor to receive the title of dame of meteorologist alta. this is one of the highest honors bestowed by the catholic church and given to those individuals who demonstrate an intense devotion to service. i can think of no one more deserving of this honor than mrs. blute. mr. speaker, all too often we fail to adequately recognize

one of the toughest yet most important jobs of all -- being a mother. mrs. blute exemplified all the best qualities of a mother, kindness, compassion, dedication, and hard work. she was kind enough to share herself not only with her own children and family, but also with the entire shrewsbury, community. hundreds of children in central massachusetts are no doubt better off today because they had the privilege of knowing mrs. blute. we are all eternally grateful for her service and lasting kindness. the world would be a better place with more people like ann marie blute. naming the post office after her is a permanent reminder of her beautiful life and commitment to service. i hope that it will also inspire others to take up the call of service to mrs. blute answered with such passion. mr. speaker, i urge all my colleagues to vote yes on h.r. 4017. i thank the gentleman from massachusetts, my colleague, mr. lynch, for yielding me the time. i yield back my time. the speaker pro tempore: the

gentleman yields back the balance of his time. the gentleman from louisiana. . mr. cao: mr. speaker, i rise in support of h.r. 4017 which designates the united states postal facility located at 43 maple avenue in shrewsbury, massachusetts, as the ann marie blute post office. ann marie blute was born on may 30, 1925, in boston, massachusetts. as the oldest of eight, she raised her siblings, which would only help prepare her for raising 11 children of her own one day. in 1947, she married dr. robert blute sr., an army doctor and sailed to germany where they lived for two years. after returning to the states, her husband began practicing medicine in rochester, massachusetts, while she raised

her family and volunteered tirelessly within the catholic church. as the parishioner at st. mary's church in shrewsbury, mrs. blute served on many committees. she taught catechism, worked with the women's guild and was a eucharist minister. in 1994, she received the ultimate honor for all of her service to the shrewsbury community through the catholic church with the title of one of the catholic religious orders related to charitable service. sher generosity extended outside her family and her neighbors. after her children had left for college, mrs. blute offered her home and her hospitality to young vietnamese im-- immigrants.

one, who is 44 years old, said of her host, when i first came here she was standing at the door waiting for me with arms wide open. i felt shaky but as i came to her she hugged me. ann marie blute's kindness knew no bounds. mrs. blute sadly passed away at the age of 83. she is survived by her husband, children and large extended family. please join me in supporting this bill in honor of ann marie blute who served her community in shrewsbury. thank you, mr. speaker. i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves. the gentleman from massachusetts. mr. lynch: thank you, mr. speaker. as a procedural matter, h.r. 4017 was introduced by my friend and colleague, representative jim mcgovern, who we heard from earlier.

on november 24 -- excuse me -- november 4, 2009, and was favorably reported out of the house oversight committee by unanimous consent on november 18, 2009. in addition, i'm proud to say i am an original co-sponsor of 4017 which enjoys the support of the entire massachusetts house delegation. a beloved resident at the towns of shrewsbury, massachusetts, mrs. ann marie blute passed away on may 1, 2009, at the age of 84. while mrs. blute is no longer with us, she will forever be remembered for her dedication to her loving family, as well as her genuine and long-standing commitment to public service. born in the city of boston on may 30, 1925, and as the oldest daughter of eight children, mrs. blute quickly learned how to help in raising a large and very busy family. in addition, mrs. blute was also able to witness the value of public service at a very early age. as her father, colonel paul hynes, a distinguished veteran of world war i, went on to

serve in the massachusetts house of representatives, is noted by "the boston globe" upon mrs. blute's passing, a commitment to public service ran in her genes. and that of the blute family. as mrs. blute's brother, peter, served as chairman of the boston city council and her son, peter, as has been mentioned earlier by mr. mcgovern, was elected to the united states congress. after receiving her education in the boston public school system, mrs. blute accepted a position in the business office at the boston post newspaper where her mother worked as a reporter. in 1947, however, mrs. blute left boston for the town -- for germany after marrying. together, mr. and mrs. blute would go on to have 11 children, five sons and six daughters. upon their children from germany, the blute settled in the town of shrewsbury, massachusetts, whether mrs. blute worked on her life's work

as journey as a mom. not only her children but the neighborhood's children. mrs. blute's arrival in shrewsbury also marked the continuation of her life leong continuing -- life-long continuing education to others. she was part of many church programs and activities. she served on the women's guild, taught cat simple, as mr. cao mentioned, become a eucharistic minister. she was the founder of the sisters of notre dame. in 1994, mrs. blute, as mr. mcgovern mentioned, was called to st. patrick's cathedral in new york by the cardinal to receive the title of dama malta. one of the catholic church's highest honors. moreover, mrs. blute also served as a dedicated board

member of various community organizations, some which have been mentioned, including the nazareth home for boys in massachusetts and the muster seed home in worcester, massachusetts. she was the trustee of the shrewsbury library as well as her membership in the shrewsbury guard club, the lady's ax ilry of st. vincent's hospital and part of the medical society. mrs. blute spent several years volunteering for aid to incarcerated mothers. as so eloquented stated by her beloved husband, robert, mrs. blute's lifelong ambition was to, quote, perform each of the works of mercy, to feed the hungry, to help the poor, to visit the prisoner and give aid to the sick and the stranger. mrs. blute's striving purpose was evidence time and time again through her many good deeds. among them was the kindness and generosity that she displayed toward lucy huang, a vietnamese

immigrant, whom she took in her home for three years. mr. speaker, the life of mrs. ann marie blute stands as a testament to public service and her memory will undoubtedly live on through her husband, robert, her children, grandchildren, four great grandchildren, her siblings and the countless friends and neighbors whom her dedication to public service made the ultimate difference. it's my hope we can pay -- we can pass this legislation in her honor. i ask my colleagues to join mr. mcgovern, the chief sponsor of this bill, in doing so and pass h.r. 4017. and i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves the balance of his time. the gentleman from louisiana. mr. cao: thank you, mr. speaker. i urge all members to support the passage of h.r. 4017. and i, too, congratulate mr.

mcgovern, 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 massachusetts. mr. lynch: again, mr. speaker, in closing, i just urge my members on both sides of the aisle to support mr. mcgovern and the sponsorship of this measure, h.r. 4017. and i 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 pass h.r. 4017. those in favor say aye. those opposed, no. in the opinion of the chair, 2/3 having responded in the affirmative, the rules are suspended, the bill is passed -- mr. lynch: mr. speaker, i object to the vote on the grounds that a quorum is not present and i make a point of order that a quorum is not present. the speaker pro tempore: pursuant to clause 8 of rule 20 and the chair's prior announcement, further proceedings on this motion will be postponed. for what purpose does the gentleman from massachusetts rise? mr. lynch: mr. speaker, i move that the house suspend the rules and pass h.r. 2711 as amended. the speaker pro tempore: the clerk will report the title of

the bill. the clerk: h.r. 2711, a bill to amend title 5, united states code, to provide for the transportation of the dependence, remains and effects of those who died as a result of the performance of official duty. the speaker pro tempore: pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from massachusetts, mr. lynch, and the gentleman from louisiana, mr. cao, will each control 20 minutes. the chair recognizes the gentleman from massachusetts. limpling lynch thank you, mr. speaker. i ask unanimous consent that all members may have five legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and add any extraneous materials. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. mr. lynch: mr. speaker, i yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. mr. lynch: mr. speaker, on behalf of the chairman of the full committee on oversight and government reform, chairman towns and its members, i am pleased to present h.r. 2711 for consideration. this bipartisan legislation was introduced by representative mike rogers omichigan and

several members of the oversite committee including representative towns, elijah cummings and brian bilbray. in addition, this legislation was favorably reported out of the oversight committee on september 10, 2009, by voice vote. h.r. 2711 is a worthy measure and i am pleased to be a co-sponsor of this bill. as reported by the oversight committee, the legislation would authorize the f.b.i. to pay the relocation and moving expenses for families of f.b.i. agents who are killed in the line of duty. under current law, the f.b.i. is only authorized to pay these expenses if an f.b.i. agent or an employee is killed overseas but cannot pay for relocation if the death occurs in the u.s. f.b.i. employees and their families are moved routinely by the bureau within the united states to take on assignments that further the mission of the agency and the security of the country. while we wish this legislation was not necessary, tragically there have been instances in

the recent past where such authority was needed to support the families of agents or employees who gave their lives. of course, untimely deaths in the federal law enforcement community are not limited to the f.b.i., and the bureau is not the only federal agency that relow indicates its employees to better protect the country. recognizing this, the bill we are considering on the floor today includes a straightforward but important amendment that recognizes the service and sacrifice of all federal law enforcement officers. the amendment simply extends the authority in this legislation to the other agencies that employ federal law enforcement officers. this amendment has strong support from the federal law enforcement community. i should also note that the costs associated with this bill remains small as the number of federal law enforcement officers killed annually is approximately 12 to 15 officers. we can and should assist each and every one of these families by supporting this amendment and this bill. moreover, the amendment also

pays tribute to the memory and service of special agent samuel hicks by renaming the legislation in his honor. special agent hicks was assigned to the pittsburgh f.b.i. office and was shot fatally on november 19, 2008, at the age of 33. while executing a federal search washt warrant associated with drawing distribution ring. he's survived by his wife and 2-year-old son. special agent hicks was a former police officer with the baltimore police department. he relocated to pittsburgh after becoming an f.b.i. agent. the bureau was unable to assist the hicks family in moving back to baltimore because of statutory limitations. this legislation, however, would correct this problem and prevent future families from suffering additional unnecessary grief and hardship. i encourage all the members to support mr. rogers and his legislation, and i reserve the

balance of our time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves. the gentleman from louisiana. mr. cao: thank you, mr. speaker. i yield as much time as he may consume to the gentleman from the state of michigan, mr. rogers. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from michigan is recognized for as much time as he may consume. mr. roger: thank you, mr. speaker. mr. towns, mr. lynch, thank you very much for your work in a bipartisan way on this very important piece of legislation. all of the big issues we deal with, we do pause and pay attention to issues that impact lives like some circumstances like no other. . you can imagine the law enforcement community and i used to serve as an f.b.i. ate g agent, that every single day somebody suits up quietly with a search warrant or to go or arrest warrant to serve somewhere in america. and we forget because they are exceptionally good at doing what they do without getting hurt or harmed, but it is

incredibly dangerous work. they get drug dealers and they get child pornographers and bank fraud executives, mafia dons and terrorists of the hardest sort. they bring them to justice as a part of defending the constitution and communities of the united states of america. and what this particular case exemplified is that there was a glitch in the law because we asked these federal law enforcement officers to move and uproot from their communities. they swear an oath to their country and constitution and to uphold the law of the united states. then we ask them to leave their hometowns of say baltimore or new york or small towns anywhere in america and take their families with them. to these new places to fight crime. wherever they find it. and this pointed out one very, very significant glitch is that if an officer, federal law enforcement officer, was killed

in the line of duty in the united states, their families had no means, the federal government could not assist them in moving back home. the very place that they stood up and said they would serve proudly with their loved one wherever that mission would take them. many, the f.b.i. specifically, makes it very well-known that you have no right to serve where you want. you will serve at the needs of the f.b.i. and other agencies serve in the same capacity. and their families suffer the same sacrifice when we ask them to move. this is a small token, just a small token of what we can do for those families who have sacrificed so much and lost their loved one while killed in the line of duty. and it's named after a very, very brave f.b.i. agent who risked his life for his country serving a narcotics warrant in pittsburgh. this is one who had a strong histry of public service. he was a teacher, baltimore police officer.

his f.b.i. agent colleagues described him as brave and courage and anchor, when they were going through their training at the f.b.i. academy, they said this is the guy you wanted to go in the door with. he's the guy that would anchor and teach them how to safely get in and safely get out of homes in very dangerous situations. and the agents and tall were interviewed were certainly by press reports tearing up and reliving the memories of of what was a great american who was absolutely committed to the ideals of the f.b.i. fidelity and bravery and integrity. and in that pursuit, in his pursuit to live up to the standards of the f.b.i., he risked and ultimately gave his life for his community and his country. so what this bill does with the help of mr. lynch and mr. towns and so many others, mr. cao, thank you is it says we will respect what you have given your country and we will help those families move back to

where they call home. in that final rest and trip in remembrance of someone who did something so great for their country. his peers also described him, mr. speaker, as a humble and giving man, an outstanding f.b.i. agent, somebody whose dream job was to wear and carry the badge of a special agent of the f.b.i. he is survived by his wife, brook, and his 3-year-old son, noah. for all that he has done, i think it's so fitting that the committee sought to name this bill after one agent. in the bureau it's never anyone's particular case. he didn't own that case. he didn't own that incident, but he was part of a bigger team. so when you name this bill after an agent like this, it really sends great condolences to the family and respect to every officer that falls in the line of duty. his name may be on the bill, but it is a gift to every

family who risks their lives every day in the service of this great nation in the law enforcement community. i would again urge all of us to support this with vigor. i also want to thank the f.b.i. agents association for their work and diligence on this. the department of justice has been very, very good to work with. and the f.b.i. itself has given their time and commitment. once again proving their commitment to the family of the f.b.i. and the work that they do. again i thank you all for the work that you have done. i think his family would be humbled. i think the f.b.i. agents are humbled. i think our federal law enforcement community is humbled that we would pause in all of the debate and remember their service and sacrifice to the united states. mr. speaker, i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. the gentleman from massachusetts. mr. lynch: thank you, mr. speaker. i thank the gentleman from michigan for his kind words ander articulate words. at this time, mr. speaker, i would like to yield to the

gentleman from maryland, mr. cummings, who is also a driving force behind this bill, for five minutes. mr. cummings: thank you very much. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. cummings: thank you very much, mr. speaker. i thank the gentleman for yielding. i rise today in support of h.r. 2711, the special agent samual families of fallen heroes act. pittsburgh pittsburgh f.b.i. special agent samuel hicks who was shot and killed while executing a federal search warrant on november 19, 2008. before joining the f.b.i. special agent hicks was a teacher and a city police officer in my hometown and the congressional district i represent in baltimore, maryland. when arrangements were made for

special agent hicks to return to his final resting place in baltimore, moving expenses for his family to relocate were not covered. this legislation would provide funds for the moving, transportation, and relocation expenses attributed to a change of residence within the united states of the immediate family of f.b.i. employee who dies in the performance of official duties. it also covers the expenses of preparing and transporting the remains of the deceased to the place where the family will reside following the employee's death. i must commend mr. rogers for this legislation. i think it's have much due. as i was reading over the legislation i could not help but think to myself i hope we don't have to use the provisions of this legislation too often because i think all

of us mourn whenever one of ever our law enforcement officers -- whenever one of our law enforcement officers is harmed or killed. it's a sad day. i have often said and we have often heard the words, they are indeed our thin blue line. if you don't think they are the thin blue line, you let something happen to you and they don't show up. one of special agent hicks' collection said of him, he was very skilled at everything, encouraging, always had a positive attitude, and the first to step forward and volunteer for anything. this colleague went on to say, he was just the kind of of guy whose a role model for other people in the academy who maybe didn't have experience or come from different backgrounds, end of quote. mr. speaker, this is just one of many examples of how dangerous a job like being an

f.b.i. agent can be. but it is one that so many take on every single day not wondering whether they will return home to their families, return to their neighborhoods. his sacrifice is always going to be remembered through his family, colleagues, and hopefully through the passage of this legislation. on maybe 2, 2009, special agent hicks' name was added to the national law enforcement officer's memorial here in washington, but that is simply not enough. we must honor those who have made the ultimate sacrifice by taking care of their loved ones who have also made a tremendous sacrifice. again i commend congressman rogers from michigan and the oversight and government reform committee, mr. lynch, especially those original co-sponsors which i'm one for

the leadership with regard to this legislation. with the passage of h.r. 2711, we can honor special agent hicks and prevent future families from additional heartache and hardship at a very, very difficult moment in their lives. i encourage all the members to support this legislation. with that i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. the gentleman from louisiana. mr. cao: thank you, mr. speaker. i yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. cao: thank you, mr. speaker. when we pass this bill out of the oversight committee on september 9, this bill only applied to f.b.i. officers who died in the performance of official duty. after working with our democratic colleagues, this bill as amended would authorize the employing agency of any federal law enforcement officer who dies in the performance of his or her duties as defined under title 5, section 5541 to

pay the moving, transportation, and relocation expenses due to a change of residence within the united states of the immediate family of the officer. it would also authorize the employing agency to cover the expenses of preparing and transporting the remains of the deceased to the place where the family will reside following the employee's death. federal law enforcement officers are often asked to relocate to new areas all across the country and the world. and frequently these officers bring their families with them to these new areas. in the case of federal law enforcement officers who die in the performance of official duties, the family is often left stranded with no means to return to an area they call home. caring for the families of these heroes who have died

while serving this nation is a priority for congress. and the cost of h.r. 2711 are relatively insignificant. mr. speaker, i support this measure and urge my colleagues to do the same as well. thank you, mr. speaker. i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves the balance of his time. the gentleman from massachusetts. mr. lynch: thank you, mr. speaker. we have no further speakers on this. i continue to reserve. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from louisiana. mr. cao: mr. speaker, i urge all members to support the passage of h.r. 2711 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 massachusetts. mr. lynch: thank you, mr. speaker. in closing i want to thank mr. cao and mr. rogers, the gentleman from michigan, as well as the gentleman from maryland, mr. cummings, and one other driving force behind this, our own chairman, ed towns, for supporting this

measure, h.r. 2711, as it rightly provides federal law enforcement agencies with the necessary authority to support these families in their greatest time of need. i'd like to yield back the balance of our time. 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. 2711, as amended. 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 are suspended, the bill is passed. without the motion to reconsider is laid upon the reconsider is laid upon the table.

the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from washington rise? >> mr. speaker, i move to suspend the rules and agree to resolution, h.res. 907, recognizing the grand concorrespond on its 100th anniversary. 8 the speaker pro tempore: the clerk will report the title of the resolution. the clerk: house resolution 907, resolution recognizing the grand concorrespond on its 100th anniversary as a pre-eminent thorough fair in the borough of the bronx and an important nexus of commerce and culture for the city of new york. the speaker pro tempore: pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from washington, and the gentleman from tennessee will each control 20 minutes. the chair recognizes the gentleman from washington. >> i request unanimous consent that all members have five legislative days to include extraneous material on house resolution 907. the speaker pro tempore:

without objection. >> mr. speaker, i yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. >> mr. speaker, i rise today in support of house resolution 907, a resolution recognizing the grand concourse on its is00th anniversary as the pre-eminent thorough fair in the burrow of the bronx and an important nexus of commerce and culture for the city of new york. and i commend the gentleman from new york, mr. serrano, for his work on this resolution to honor an historic roadway in advance of this milestone. first conceived in 1890, as a means of connecting the borough of manhattan to the northern bronx, the grand concourse was designed by louis reese and opened to the public in 1909. it was completed for a total cost of $14 million. the equivalent of $340 today. . while the apartment buildings along the roadway have been homes to the like of babe ruth,

milton burrow and many others. the landmarks is the lower paradise cedar was one time the largest theater in new york city. the old yankee stadium opened near the grand concourse at 161st street in 1923 and serves as an important centerpiece for the bronx and the city of new york ever since. it served as the essential north-south artery of the borough. it is lined with parks, fountains and our pedestrian-friendly community aspects that add transportation value to the borough. recently $18 million was invested in the infrastructure of the grand concourse to make it more pedestrian friendly and restore the roadway's beauty that has made it vital to the cultural and economic element of the bronx for 100 years. so, mr. speaker, in honor of the landmark and the contributions to the city of new york and the borough of

bronx over the past century, i urge my colleagues to join me in supporting house resolution 907, and i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves. the gentleman from tennessee. mr. duncan: mr. speaker, i yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. duncan: mr. speaker, as the ranking minority member on the highways and transit subcommittee, i've been asked to speak on this resolution, and i rise in support of house resolution 907, a resolution, as the gentleman from washington stated, recognizing the grand concourse on its 100th anniversary as the preeminent thoroughfare in the borough of the bronx and an important nexus of commerce and culture in the city of new york. the grand concourse is a rare blend of history, culture and infrastructure that has accommodated the likes of babe ruth, stanley kubret and it plays host to the iconic yankee

stadium, lowes paradise theater. few roads in our nation's history have reflected the personality of the local culture better than the grand concourse has done for the bronx. mr. speaker, i urge all of my colleagues to support this very timely and appropriate resolution. and at this time i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves the balance of his time. the gentleman from washington. mr. larsen: i yield to the gentleman from new york, the sponsor of the resolution. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from new york is recognized for such time as he may consume. mr. serrano: i ask unanimous consent to revise and extend. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. mr. serrano: too often we take for granted in places where we live in terms of the landmarks that are around us. this is in celebration of a roadway that was set out to

link the borough of manhattan to the bronx but it became much more than that. it became an icon. and as the city grew it has become even grander year by year. we are now celebrating 100 years of the grand concourse. and this was designed by a french immigrant in 1894 and when it opened in 1909 it was something spectacular that had not been seen before. those of you who have come on many occasions, i'm sure to visit the bronx and to visit yankee stadium will know that the grand concourse, this four-mile -- that four-mile thoroughfare that stretches from 138th street to van cortland is really majestic. and so full of history. the grand concourse has the largest collection of art deco buildings in the united states. and those art deco buildings

are those you walk into the lobbies are just so special with the artwork and the measurials that are painted, especially during world war ii and in the late 1930's. those buildings are now part of the national registry. in addition, the grand concourse itself has been designated and registered at the national historic place and has also been designated as a special preservation district by the city of new york. and as was mentioned before, if you heard of grand concourse, you'll see the carnage where edgar alan poe wrote the poem "annabel lee," which is still standing there. many have lived on the grand concourse. of course, i live on the grand concourse and i certainly did not have the kind of year babe ruth had in 1927, but i have had a pretty good year this past year. this congress saw fit a couple years ago to designate $18

million that was used to renovate parts of the grand concourse and its infrastructure. that was in january of 2006. and now as part of that celebration, the bronx is celebrating the roadway in its exhibition into sections the grand concourse at 100. what's interesting about the grand concourse, -- what's interesting about the grand concourse, it shows what new york city is and what this country is because as you travel the concourse not only physically but through its history you see the different groups of people who came to new york, who came to the bronx, who set along the concourse, as we call it, and became part of america. and so as we see people enjoying the parks and enjoying and socializing on the concourse, we see the different groups that have arrived from throughout the world and from my birthplace of puerto rico. the grand concourse has for

them fulfilled and exceeded its plans and intentions over series of generations occupying a central place in the hearts and minds of bronxites past and present. and so i have come here in support of this resolution. i hope everyone will support it. i thank the committee, chairman and the ranking members for their support. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. the gentleman from tennessee. mr. duncan: mr. speaker, i have no other speakers, and so i yield back the balance of my time. i urge support for this resolution. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. the gentleman from washington. mr. larsen: mr. speaker, we have no other speakers and also yield back the balance of our time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. all time has expired. the question is will the house suspend the rules and agree to house resolution 907. those in favor signify by saying aye. those opposed, no. in the opinion of the chair, 2/3 having responded in the

affirmative -- mr. larsen: mr. speaker. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from washington. mr. larsen: on that i request the yeas and nays. the speaker pro tempore: the yeas and nays are requested. all those in favor of taking this vote by the yeas and nays will rise and remain standing until counted. a sufficient number having arisen, the yeas and nays are ordered. pursuant to clause 8 of rule 20 and the chair's prior announcement, further proceedings on this motion will be postponed. for what purpose does the gentleman from washington rise? mr. larsen: mr. speaker, i move to suspend the rules and pass the bill h.r. 4165, to extend through december 31, 2010, the authority of the secretary of the army to accept and expend funds contributed by nonfederal public entities to expedite the processing of permits. the speaker pro tempore: the clerk will report the title of the bill. the clerk: h.r. 4165, a bill to extend through december 31, 2010, the authority of the secretary of the army to accept and expend funds contributed by nonfederal public entities to expedite the processing of permits. the speaker pro tempore: pursuant to the rule, the

gentleman from washington, mr. larsen, and the gentleman from arkansas, mr. boozman, will each control 20 minutes. the chair recognizes the gentleman from washington. mr. larsen: mr. speaker, i ask unanimous consent that all members may have five legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and to include extraneous material on h.r. 4165. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. mr. larsen: mr. speaker, i yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. larsen: mr. speaker, i rise today in support of h.r. 4165. this bill would extend section 214 of the water resources development act of 2000 for another year through december 31, 2010. section 214 is currently authorized through december 31, 2009. section 214 program allows local governments to fund additional u.s. army corps of engineers' staff time to expedite the processing of permits for infrastructure and ecosystem restoration projects. section 214 was enacted by congress because the corps of engineers' permitting process had become cumbersome for both corps staff and applicants as a number of applications rows. by funding additional --

applications rose. by funding additional funds, they can process backlogs more quickly. funding for additional corps staff have resulted in the reduction of permanent wait time, not only for the entity but for any individual or business seeking a permit. local governments are able to move forward with infrastructure and ecosystem restoration projects. section 214 is currently being used by over 41 public agencies in 27 separate corps districts. the city of seattle was the first to develop and use this facilitated permitting process. the city has used the section 214 program for 285 projects representing over $1.1 billion in capital investments. seven years of using the program has resulted in estimated cost savings of $10.6 million. the average review time per project has been reduced from an over 808 days to an average somewhere between 47 and 166

days. in a region where we must balance the most difficult environmental issues in the country with the second highest commerce trade demand in any region of the country, section 214 has become key to overcome permitting delays and other challenges. the authority granted by section 214 of the wrda 2000 has worked well in practice. this authority needs to be renewed so that additional staff can remain on the job without problems. i urge members to support the bill and i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves. the gentleman from arkansas. mr. boozman: thank you, mr. speaker. i yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. boozman: mr. speaker, i rise in support of h.r. 4165, to authorize an extension of the army corps of engineers' section 214 program. section 214 of the water resources development act of 2000 allows the army corps of

engineers to accept and expend funds provided by nonfederal public entities to hire additional personnel to process regulatory permits. mr. speaker, i say i offer qualified support for h.r. 4165 because while this legislation is needed, my colleague from texas, mr. olson, has offered a better piece of legislation. mr. oleson's legislation, h.r. 4162, will authorize a permanent extension of the program, not a one-year temporary program, offered by h.r. 4165. the congress has been forced to temporarily extend this program five times since it was authorized in the water resources development act of 2000. yet, the committee on transportation and infrastructure has heard from members on both sides of the aisle supporting permanent extension of the 214 program. i've heard no member object to a permanent extension of the section 214 program. the corps of engineers now has

adequate experience in running the program and recent government accountability office observations concur with this assessment. yet, here we are again on the house floor moving a temporary extension of an excellent program. authority for this program expires on december 31 of this calendar year. if this program expires, the corps will have to fire some regulatory personnel, reducing its ability to process permits in a timely manner. i want to thank representative oleson and representative larsen -- olson and representative larsen for their leadership on this issue. i ask members to vote for h.r. 4165 but i hope we pass a perm -- but i wished we passed a permanent extension, not a temporary one. with that i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves.

the gentleman from massachusetts. mr. larsen: mr. speaker, i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from washington reserves. the gentleman from arkansas. mr. boozman: mr. speaker, i yield to the gentleman from texas, mr. olson, whatever time he might consume. the speaker proempore: the gentleman from texas is recognized for such time as he may consume. mr. olson: thank you, mr. speaker. and i thank my colleague from arkansas, congressman boozman, for yielding me time. i rise today to express my disappointment that we're only considering a one-year extension of the section 214 language. section 214 of the water resources development act of 2000 allows the secretary of the army to accept and expend funds contributed by nonfederal public entities to expedite the processing of permits through the army corps of engineers. by funding additional staff to work on permanent valuation, the existing corps staff are able to process significant backlogs more quickly.

hiring additional staff results in waiting times, not only through the local funding entity, but also for any district organization that makes an application with the corps district. in my district, the harris county district has used section 214 for the past six months to move forward with vital infrastructure and maintenance projects that have minimal environmental impacts. according to a letter they sent my office, harris county flood control districts has, quote, already received -- seen a significant improvement in the time it takes to review improvements that are required to proceed to construction of our projects, end quote. in the past nine years, section 214 has been extended five times, two of these extensions were for less than one year. this program has been hamstrung

by short-term extensions that discourage local-public entities from participating. and today we again add to the uncertainty of this program by extending it for one additional year with no guarantee of continuing past that. i sponsored legislation that would make section 214 authority permanent and ensure nonfederal public sponsors have the ability to move forward with vital infrastructure projects and maintenance more efficiently year after year. . my bill is ready for consideration but instead we are considering another short-term extension. i will reluctantly support this one-year extension, but hope that as we move forward with the debate on the water resources development act that we can have a serious conversation about making this provision permanent, nonfederal project sponsors need to be

able to carry on long g.e.f.ivity of section 214 in order to make the most out of it. thank you, i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from washington. mr. larsen: mr. speaker, i yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. larsen: in response to the gentleman from texas, i do want to say i'm extremely sympathetic to his position. fully agree with the request that we make section 214 permanent. i along with many others have asked for that consideration within the context of the re-authorization of of the water resources development act 2010. and i am hopeful we can work in a bipartisan approach to approach the committee's leadership to make mr. olson's as well as many others who have made the same request, to make that request a reality. with that, mr. speaker, i reserve the balance of my time.

the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves. the gentleman from arkansas. mr. boozman: thank you, mr. speaker. again i do support h.r. 4165 and urge my fell -- fellow members to vote for the bill. i appreciate mr. larsen and others, he's worked hard on this and trying to bring the issue forward and provide a permanent fix. my hope is that in the re-authorization that we can all, as was mentioned, in a very bipartisan way, because this is an entity that's worked very, very well and i think all of us agree that it really is a success story. hopefully we can work together. he and mr. olson and our leadership on the committee so we can provide for a fix of the program. a permanent authorization and not have to go through this every year. with that i reserve the balance

of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from washington. mr. larsen: mr. speaker, i urge everyone to support h.r. 4165. i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. all time has expired. the question is will the house suspend the rules and pass h.r. 4165. 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 are suspended, the bill is passed, and without objection the motion to reconsider is laid upon the table. for what purpose does the gentleman from washington rise? mr. larsen: mr. speaker, i move to suspend the rules and pass the bill h.r. 1854 . the speaker pro tempore: the clerk will report the title of the bill. the clerk: h.r. 1854, a bill to amend the water resources development act of 1992 to modify an environmental infrastructure project for big bear lake, california. the speaker pro tempore: pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from washington, mr. larsen, and the gentleman from arkansas, mr. boozman, will each control 20 minutes. the chair recognizes the gentleman from washington.

mr. larsen: mr. speaker, i ask unanimous consent that all members may have five legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on h.r. 1854. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. mr. larsen: mr. speaker, i yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. larsen: mr. speaker, i ask the house to consider h.r. 1854 to amend the water resources development act of 1992 to modify environmental infrastructure project for big bear lake, california. this bill provides technical corrections to the big bear lake project, originally authorized in the water resources development act of 2007. h.r. 1854 changes the authorized purpose of the big bear lake project from wastewater treatment to water supply infrastructure. in addition, the authorized funding level is reduced by $6 million to a $9 million authorized funding level. we have no objections to this bill as introduced. with that, mr. speaker, i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves the balance of his time. the gentleman from arkansas. mr. boozman: thank you, mr.

speaker. i yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. boozman: mr. speaker, i rise in support of h.r. 1854, amending the water resources development act of 1992 to modify a project in the have a sinity of paying bear, california. the water resources development act of 2007 was enacted in november, 2007. included in the bill is a project that authorized assistance for the city of big bear, california. as authorized the bill provided $15 million of assistance to the city to construct a wastewater treatment facility. since enacted, however, the city has decided against constructing the project and would instead use the authority to upgrade its water supply distribution system at a lower

cost than originally authorized. the new cost of the project is $9 million. this project is especially critical to this region of california which is typically subjected to catastrophic wildfires. upgrades to the water supply in the have a sinity of big bear would increase -- vicinity of big bear would increase water pressure at peak mand periods and improve water quality. it's not often a member of congress asks us to cut authorized levels of funding for their congressional district. this bill is an act a of good governance and truth in budgeting. i want to thank representative lewis for his leadership on this issue and urge all members to vote in favor of h.r. 1854. with that i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves the balance of his time. the gentleman from washington. mr. lrsen: i continue to reserve. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves. the gentleman from arkansas. mr. boozman: thank you, mr. speaker. having no further speakers i

yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. the gentleman from washington. mr. larsen: i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. all time has expired. the question is, will the house suspend the rules and pass h.r. 1854. 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 are suspended, the bill is passed, and without objection the motion to reconsider is laid upon the reconsider is laid upon the table.

the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from pennsylvania rise? >> mr. speaker, i move to suspend the rules and pass h.r. 3224. the speaker pro tempore: the clerk will report the title of the bill. the clerk: union calendar number 204, h.r. 3224, a bill to authorize the board of regents of the smithsonian institution to plan, design, and construct a vehicle maintenance building at the vehicle maintenance branch of the smithsonian institution located in suitland, maryland, and for other purposes. the speaker pro tempore: pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from pennsylvania, mr. brady, and the gentleman from nebraska, mr. terry, each

will control 20 minutes. the chair recognizes the gentleman from pennsylvania. mr. brady: mr. speaker, i ask unanimous consent that all members may have five legislative days to revise and extend their remarks on h.r. 3224. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. mr. brady: h.r. 3224 would authorize $4 million in fiscal 2010 for the smithsonian institute to plan, design, construct a vehicle maintenance building in maryland. our committee reported the bill unanimously. the new building would absorb the vehicle maintenance functions for the entire complex in the washington area. they are currently performing in constricted and dysfunctional space at the general services building within the national zoo in northwest, washington, d.c. the vehicle's functions which covers the maintenance, repair, and fueling of 780 smithsonian-owned vehicles and pieces of of equipment are not

compatible with the surrounding environment at the zoo and would be better served at the suitland facility which has more space and is isolated from the public access. this space being vacated, the zoo would be converted to other uses. the bill authorizes the plan, design, and construction of this project which would give the committee on house administration primary jurisdiction. the committee on transportation and infrastructure which has additional referral also reported this bill. the fiscal 2010 interior appropriations conference report which has been acted into law contains the necessary funding for this bill. i urge the approval of the legislation. i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves the balance of his time. for what purpose does the gentleman from nebraska rise? mr. terry: i yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. terry: i rise in support of this bill which will provide for the construction of the vehicle maintenance branch at the national zoo to benefit the zoo and larger smithsonian institute operations. .

this demonstrated that the onsite construction of a vehicle maintenance facility would prove to be roughly 40% cheaper than developing an offsite facility. additionally this bill will provide for the better environmental stewardship in the operations of the national zoo and the smithsonian institute. i want to thank mr. becerra for bringing this forward and accordingly request that my colleagues on this side of the aisle support this suspension and i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves the balance of his time. the gentleman from pennsylvania. >> i also reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from pennsylvania continues to reserve. the gentleman from nebraska. mr. terry: just want to thank mr. lungren for his efforts on

this measure and yield back our time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. the gentleman from pennsylvania. >> i wish to thank mr. lungren, too, for his cooperation in this hearing and yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from pennsylvania yields back. the question is, will the house suspend the rules and pass h.r. 3224. those in favor say aye. those opposed, no. in the opinion of the chair, 2/3 of those voting having responded in the affirmative, the rules are suspended, the bill is passed and without objection the motion to reconsider is laid on the table.

the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentlewoman from california rise? >> mr. speaker, i move that the house suspend the rules and agree to house resolution 35, expressing the sense of the house of representatives that congress should provide increased federal funding for continued type 1 diabetes research. the speaker pro tempore: the clerk will report the title of the resolution. the clerk: house resolution 35, resolution expressing the sense of the house of representatives that congress should provide increased federal funding for continued type 1 diabetes research. the speaker pro tempore: pursuant to the rule, the gentlewoman from california, mrs. capps, and the gentleman from nebraska, mr. tery, each will control 20 minutes. the chair recognizes the gentlewoman from california. mrs. capps: mr. speaker, i ask unanimous consent that all members may have five legislative days in which to revise and extends their remarks and include extraneous materials on the record. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. mrs. capps: mr. speaker, i yield

to myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman is recognized. mrs. capps: mr. speaker, i rise today in support of house resolution 35 expressing the sense of the house that congress should provide increased federal research funding for type 1 diabetes. the diabetes is one of the most prevalent conditions in the united states today. according to the centers for disease control and prevention, nearly 24 million americans, that's roughly 8% of the united states population, have diabetes. direct and indirect costs of diabetes totaled $174 billion in 2007 and $120 billion of which was direct medical costs attributable to diabetes. three million americans have type 1 diabetes which results when the body's immune system destroys insulin-producing cells in the pancreatic rass that regulate blood glucose levels. scrids with this depend on insulin. even with adherence to insulin treatment, individuals with type

1 diabetes are still very vulnerable to many complications that this disease offers and that is blindness, kidney failure and amputation. as a school nurse, i became intimately aware of the challenges that are faced by children with type 1 diabetes and the impact that it has on their families and on their classmates as well. during the years i cared for those students we discussed pot tension for a cure -- the potential for a cure, that a cure would be available by now. unfortunately we still have a ways to go. federal funding of diabetes research has resulted in tremendous advancements for our understanding and treatment of the disease. we've successfully determined underlying genetic and environmental causes of diabetes and are testing and promising new treatments but there's still much work to be done. the national institutes of health have devoted $433 million in fiscal year 2001 for type 1 diabetes research. this resolution calls for a doubling of annual n.i.h. funding to meet leading

researchers' estimates of the funding needed to accomplish n.i.h.'s six goals related to type 1 diabetes. mr. speaker, i'm pleased to join my colleagues in kuhling -- calling for passage of this resolution and increased research funding to find a cure for type 1 diabetes. i want to thank my colleague on the energy and commerce committee, congressman gene green, for his leadershipen this important issue and i reserve the balance of my time -- for his leadership on this issue and i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady reserves the balance of her time. the gentleman from nebraska. mr. terry: thank you. i yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. terry: as a member of the diabetes caucus and throughout most of the 1990's i was a member of our regional diabetes board for the a.d.a. in fact, i called myself a perpetual vice chairman of our region. so it's with great pride that i'm here in support and encourage my colleagues to support h.r. 35. i want to recognize the 23.6

million americans that suffer from diabetes. diabetes can lead to serious complications and premature death. diabetes -- but people with diabetes can take steps to control the disease and lower the risk of complications. the center for disease control has stated that progressive diabetes among those with pre-diabetes is not inevitable and studied have shown that people with pre-diabetes who lose weight and increase their physical activity can prevent or delay diabetes and return their blood pressure to near normal. through regular exercise and a steady diet, americans can return to a healthier state of living and avoid diabetes. because diabetes affects individuals in different ways it is important that we educate our communities about the causes and effective ways to avoid diabetes through living a healthy lifestyle.

additionally we must continue to research the causes, treatment, education and event cure for diabetes -- eventual cure for diabetes through a public and private partnership. i do believe the 1,000-page health reform bill that was rushed through the house of representatives via the other side of the aisle to establish a government takeover of health care will negatively impact those with diabetes and severely curtail our ability to find a cure. i fail to see how a massive government takeover of our health care system and the creation of scores of new bureaucracies will revitelies our economy or give americans a better cure. instead the house tricommittee bill would ration health care like it's done in the u.k. and canada. this rationing of health care will not be better for the patient, it will lead to many diabetics in need of dialysis and care being turned away or having longer wait times when they need access to physicians.

in addition to nearly a $1 trillion health care reform bill being pushed on the american public, the recent stimulus legislation provides $10 billion in extra funding to the n.i.h. for the advancement of scientific research. unfortunately long held processes on the length and structure of trials have been ignored in order to spend the funds as quickly as possible and as in many congressional districts as possible. instead of spending millions of dollars for a political photo op it would have been more responsible to continue to have the n.i.h. determine what trials processes the most merit. if we hadn't rushed to spend in the name of stimulus, i believe that some of the $10 billion could have been used for research into type 1 diabetes. i want to see americans recognizing the significance of modern -- monitoring their and members of their family's health

in getting the proper treatment for diabetes. i'd also like to see the continued commitment to diabetes research so that one day we may have a cure. i'd like to thank the sponsor of this bill, representative gene green from texas, for his work on this resolution and i stand once again in support of this legislation and hope my colleagues will join me. i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves the balance of his time. the gentlewoman from california. mrs. capps: mr. speaker, i wish to respond to my friend and colleague from nebraska by reminding us all that with the health care insurance reform legislation that's been proposed, one of the effects would be that more americans would have access to preventive and primary care which would hopefully mitigate the onset of diabetes and its effects on

americans -- affects on americans. now it's my pleasure to yield to my colleague from texas, gene green, and he is the resolution sponsor. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from texas is recognized. mr. green: thank you, mr. speaker. i thank the vice chair of the energy and commerce committee for yielding to me. this resolution discusses type 1 diabetes which is typically early onset juvenile diabetes in some of us but it does sometimes affect older children. type 1 diabetes is a chronic genetically determined and debilitating disease caused by an auto immune attack that destroys the insulin-producing beta cells of the pancreatic rass and affects the organ system. nearly three million americans are affected by type 1 diabetes. diabetes is one of those chronic costly diseases costing the united states economy more than $174 billion annualy in direct

and indirect health care costs. on the average individuals with diabetes pay $13,000 in annual health care costs compared to $2,600 for individuals without diabetes. insulin treats but does not cure this potentially deadly disease or prevent the complication of diabetes which can include blindness, heart attack, kidney failure, stroke, nerve damage and amputations. diabetes is also the leading cause of legal blindness and working age adults and nearly all type 1 diabetes patients exhibit some degree of eye disease after living with diabetes for 15 to 20 years. this special diabetes program created and provides significant support to the diabetes clinical research network, a nationwide network involving 163 clinical sites in 43 states, in order to address the number of individuals diagnosed with type 1 diabetes and find a cure. the national institute of health has established six goal areas to guide type 1 diabetes

research focused on the reduction, prevention and cure of type 1 diabetes and its complications. the national institute of health devoted $433 million in fiscal year 2009 for type 1 diabetes research. congress currently provides $150 million annually through fiscal year 2011 for the special statutory funding program for type 1 diabetes research. promising advances has been made in determining the root causes of the disease and finding a cure will depend on funded research initiatives and training the next generation of diabetes researchers. but congress can do more to advance the research on type 1 diabetes. this resolution calls for doubling the annual n.i.h. funding to meet leading research estimates of funding needed to meet n.i.h.'s six goals. i'm pleased to sponsor this resolution and the 101 other members calling to find a cure for type 1 diabetes and i want to thank all my co-sponsors,

including my colleague, both my colleagues, vice chair of the energy and commerce committee, congresswoman capps, and also congressman terry from nebraska. and -- who is also, like i said, a co-sponsor of the resolution. hopefully our national health care plan would tall actually help someone -- would actually help someone with either type 1 diabetes or type 2 diabetes to make sure they can go see a physician when they need to. in fact, mr. speaker, i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. the gentleman from nebraska. mr. terry: i yield myself as much time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. terry: thank you, mr. speaker. as i mentioned, my activities in the diabetes cause, i've learned as i stated in the main statement that education, nutrition, exercise leads to prevention of much of type 1 and type 2 diabetes. today is the sixth anniversary

of the medicare and medicaid reform act that was passed in 2003. on a nearly partisan vote. and it was then that we recognized, the republicans who authored that bill and supported that bill, actually this is the first time that medicare would pay for education, nutrition counseling. i thought it was odd that under medicare for a die bet take medicare would pay for an amputation or kidney dialysis but it wouldn't pay $150 to prevent those from happening by way of education, diabetic education classes, which including nutrition and exercise and such. so, we've gone a long way in recognizing prevention and certainly we don't need the government through its history

of not wanting to cover preventative care, i think we can do a better job within the private side, free enterprise side, we don't need government running health care to ensure that people that are in need of diabetic or diabetes education, nutrition, dietitian, exercise counseling could receive that. i again want to thank gene green for bringing this much-needed resolution. once again i rise in support. i have no further speakers for this one so i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from nebraska yields back the balance of his time. the gentlewoman from california. . mrs. capps: i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman california yields back the balance of her time. the question is, will the house suspend the rules and agree to house resolution 35. 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 are--for what purpose does -- miss kapp: i object to the vote on the ground 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 , the chair's prior announcement, further proceedings on this motion will be postponed. for what purpose does the the gentlewoman from california rise? mrs. capps: i move that the house suspend the rules agree to house resolution 55, expressing support for the designation of a national prader-willi syndrome awareness month to raise awareness and promote research into this challenging disorder. the speaker pro tempore: the clerk will report the title of the resolution. the clerk: house resolution 55, resolution expressing support for the designation of a national prader-willi syndrome awareness month to raise awareness of and promote research into this challenging

disorder. the speaker pro tempore: pursuant to the rule, the the gentlewoman from california, mrs. capps, and the gentleman from nebraska, mr. terry, each will control 20 minutes. the chair recognizes the gentlewoman from california. mrs. capps: thank you, mr. speaker. i ask unanimous consent that all members may have five legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material in the record. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, so ordered. mrs. capps: i yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman is recognized. mrs. capps: mr. speaker, i rise today in support of house resolution 55. this resolution supports raising awareness and educating the public about prader-willi syndrome and expresses support for designating national prader-willi syndrome awareness month. it is a genetic disorder that occurs in approximately one in every 15,000 births. individuals with this syndrome have lower metabolic rates and lack normal hunger and state sayity cues. a combination of these factors

results in morbid obesity and associated complication it is gone untreated. individuals with prayeder wlil syndrome are also affected by nonobesity related conditions such as cognitive and learning disabilities and some behavioral difficulties. the link between pradder willie -- prader-willi syndrome is one that can be not be ignored. it is one of the most public health challenges in the united states. it is estimated that 16% of american children and 1/3 of american adults are obese. that's an astounding fact. a recently released report supported by the united health foundation, america public health association, and partnership prevention concluded that if current trends continue over 100 million american adults will be obese by 2018. this would translate to over $300 billion of health care costs attributable to obesity if the rates continue to increase at current trends. my colleagues are aware,

obesity is a complex health issue. behavioral, environmental, and genetic factors all contribute to this epidemic. most often we talk about eating a healthy diet and exercising. in recent months i'm proud how veef prioritized investments in community level prevention and wellness activities. interventions in schools, workplaces, and other settings are essential to reinforce and facilitate individual efforts to maintain a healthy weight. the resolution we are considering today presents us with an opportunity to focus on how genes affect obesity. i'm pleased to join my colleagues in drawing attention to the prader-willi syndrome. i urge passage of this resolution. i want to thank my colleagues from california, congressman rice and congresswoman harman, for their leadership on this issue. i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman from california reserves the balance of her time. the gentleman from nebraska, mr. terry. mr. terry: i yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. terry: mr. speaker, i rise in support of house resolution

55 and encourage the designation of national prader-willi syndrome awareness month. prader-willi syndrome is a complex genetic disorder that can cause life threatening symptoms sufficient as n extreme and insatiable appetite . often resulting in morbid obesity, prader-willi syndrome occurs in males and females equally and in all races. estimates of the perfect vail lens of prader-willi syndrome vary with the most likely figure being one out of every 15,000 children. children with p.w.s. have sweet and loving personalities, but they are also characterized by weight control issues and motor development delays along with some behavior problems and unique medical issues. p.w.s. typically causes low muscle tone, short stature if not treated with growth hormone. incomplete sexual development and a chronic feeling of hunger that coupleled with a

metabolism that utilizes drastically fewer calories than normal can lead to an excessive eating and life threatening obesity. the food compulsion requires constant supervision on the part of the family members along with regular attention to many of the other difficult symptoms. it is the commitment of researchers and health professionals that have led to effective treatments and hopefully an eventual curl for the families affected by -- cure for the families affect bide this disorder. i'd like to thank representative royce from california for his commitment to raising awareness. i encourage all my colleagues to vote for him -- vote for this resolution. at this time i yield to the gentleman from california. mr. royce: i thank the gentleman for yielding. mr. speaker, i rise in support of house resolution 55 authored by myself and my colleague from the state of california,

congresswoman jane harman. this resolution calls for the establishment of a national prader-willi syndrome awareness month and it encourages continued federal research of this syndrome. this syndrome is recognized as a common genetic cause of childhood obesity. and for too many children it is an aflick shun which causes them not even to be able to reach their teens. many of them don't reach their 20th bivert day -- birthday as a result of this malady. 7 1/2 years ago i was in the position of most members of this house and most americans in that i had never heard of pradder willie syndrome -prader-willi syndrome. then a little girl named abby porter was born. i can still remember that day and the phone call that came telling me that abby had arrived but something was wrong. abby was sleeping almost 24

hours a day. was unable to eat on her own. and had almost no muscle tone at all. thanks to the persistence and strong will of abby's parents, she was sent to children's hospital in denver where she underwent extensive testing. and at two weeks of age we all learned that abby had a genetic disorder called prader-willi syndrome. many of of you are now asking what i asked on that day of the phone call, what is prader-willi syndrome? in short, it is a complex condition, characterized by morbid obesity, by insatiable appetite, by poor muscle tone and failure to thrive during infancy among many other maladies. and 20 years ago a child with prader-willi syndrome was likely to die of morbid obesity before they reached adulthood. most of these children were either never diagnosed or

diagnosed later in life when treatment was far less effective. abby porter is actually one of the lucky ones as she received a very early diagnosis. as a result of this early diagnosis, she was able to begin human growth hormone treatments at the age of three months. a relatively new treatment for prader-willi at the time of her birth, growth hormone enabled her to begin building the muscle tone she needed to hold up her head, sit up, crawl, and finally to walk. as a result, she was able to reach all of her developmental milestones at roughly the appropriate times. she was also able to develop cognitively at a more normal rate than they she would have without this treatment. abby and i want every child with prader-willi syndrome to have this same opportunity. we want to increase awareness of this genetic disorder among health care providers and pea trishans and parents and teachers and communities. we want children to get diagnosed early so that they

can begin immediate treatment. we want parents to be able to find out the information that they need to make decisions about the treatment and development of their children. we want teachers to understand the cognitive and emotional struggles that come with prader-willi and must be dealt with in order for these children to learn. we want neighbors and community members to learn about this syndrome so that they will understand the actions and behavior of some of the children with pradder willie. thus, they will not reject them outright and will instead teach their own children about the acceptance of differences. abby and i want these families with prader-willi children to know that the families are not alone in this fight to search for cures and treatments that will improve the future of their children. and for that reason we are both proud today to see this house call for a national prader-willi syndrome awareness month and to express support for further research in this

disorder. i want to again thank my colleague, congresswoman jane harman, from california for her support and efforts on behalf of this resolution. i urge all of my colleagues to support this bill. i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves the balance of his time. the gentlewoman from california. mrs. capps: i'm pleased now to yield whatever time she may consume to my colleague and friend from california, jane harman. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman from california is recognized. ms. harman: thank you, mr. speaker. let me first commend mrs. capps who as a registered nurse has brought so much understanding and depth to our ongoing negotiations on health care. and the energy and commerce committee. second, let me commend a good friend and frequent partner, mr. royce, whose focus on this issue and personal compassion on behalf of his friend, abby, and enormously caring staff have brought this issue to my attention. it resonates in my district, my

california congressional district, where there is an incredible community of activists who are committed to increasing awareness and supporting research on prader-willi syndrome. two of those, tom and renee, are parents of a child with prader-willi. they have brought other prader-willi families together with groups of students, teachers, and other members of the community to spread awareness and raise funds to combat this devastating disease. tom says, quote, the thing that has kept us going over the years has been the optimism that a cure for p.w.s. will be found and our son will have a normal life. what a concept. a normal life was something that until recently i took for granted, he said. that's the goal of this resolution. by increasing awareness and promoting research at the national level we can give them and thousands ever families

like them and abby and many friends of congressman royce a chance to lead a normal life. two years ago, mr. speaker, i attended the annual walk-a-thon for prader-willi research, a wonderful community in my district, the warmth and excitement of the children i met there was touching, especially in the face of the challenges they face on a daily basis. prayeder wlil patients suffer, as you have heard, from cognitive disabilities, poor muscle stone, and constant feelings of hunger. they often look different from other children, which makes it difficult to fit in or look like a normal kid. some cutting-edge treatments, like the ones abby received, can improve the physical development of children with prader-willi so they can fit in, but this is contingent on early diagnosis and treatment and that often doesn't happen. by passing h.res. 55 and raising the profile of this

disease, this house can give these children better odds at doing something most of us take for granted, living a normal life. i urge passage of the resolution and again commend my friend from california for their role. i yield to the gentlewoman from california, mrs. capps. mrs. capps: i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman from california reserves the balance of her time. the gentleman from nebraska. mr. terry: i have no further speakers. therefore encourage the passage of this bill -- resolution, and yield back. . mrs. capps: i wish to commend the personal commitment of our colleagues from california, congressman rice and congresswoman harman, and i urge support for this resolution and i yield back the balance of our time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman from california yields back the balance of her

time. the question is will the house suspend the rules and agree to house resolution 55. those in favor say aye. those opposed, no. in the opinion of the chair, 2/3 of those voting having responded in the affirmative -- for what purpose does the gentlewoman -- mrs. capps: 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, the chair's prior announcement, further proceedings on the motion will be postponed. the chair lays before the house the following enrolled bill. the clerk: senate 1422, to amend the family medical leave act of 1993 to clarify the eligibility requirements with respect to airline flight crews.

the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from illinois rise? >> mr. speaker, i move that the house suspend the rules and agree to h.r. 2221, the data accountability and trust act as amended. the speaker pro tempore: the clerk will report the title of the bill. the clerk: h.r. 2221, a bill to protect consumers by requiring reasonable security policies and procedures to protect computerized data containing personal information and to provide for a nationwide notice in the event of a security breach. the speaker pro tempore: pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from illinois, mr. rush, and the gentleman from florida, mr. stearns, each will control 20 minutes. the chair recognizes the gentleman from illinois.

rush rush mr. speaker, i ask unanimous consent that all members may have five legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material in the record. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, so ordered. mr. rush: mr. speaker, i yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. rush: mr. speaker, the first bill that i am urging the adoption of is h.r. 2221, the data accountability and trust act known as the data act. h.r. 2221 addresses data breaches by requiring, quote, entities holding data containing people's personal information to have reasonable and appropriate security measures in place to protect that data. h.r. 2221 would also require

them to notify consumers who are u.s. citizens or residents and the federal trade commission when a breach occurs. for the past five years the clearing house contends that nearly 340 million records containing personal information have been involved in security breaches. high profile data breach have plagued financial institutions, nationwide retailers, online merchants, information brokers, credit card processors, health care institutions, high-tech companies, research facilities and government agencies. currently similar laws require

for specific sections of the marketplace. these laws include a rule which has -- which contains data requirements for financial institutions and the sound credit reporting act disposal rule which imposes safe disposal obligations or entities that maintain consumer report information. in addition, fcc uses enforcement authority under the f.c.c. act to bring actions against companies that ma misleading claims about procedures or who have security measures in circumstances causing substantial injury.

however, there is no comprehensive federal law that requires all companies that hold consumers' personal information to implement reasonable measures to protect their ideas. also it doesn't make them provide notice to consumers whose personal information was compromised. those entities will determine that they have no reasonable risk of identity theft, flawed or other -- with the exemption providing nationwide notice to persons under h.r. 2221. that data -- the data act establishes a presumption in the law that methodologies

adequately meeting a determination standard in section 3, subsection f, 2-a. more narrow exemptions and providing for personal information holders notice, quote, serious providers, end quote, in addition to information handling protection data but only for the limited purpose it's of preventing fraud -- purposes of preventing fraud. the f.c.c. may determine to be in compliance if a person is required under any federal law to maintain standards and safeguards for information security and protection of personal information that provides protection he. mr. speaker, with that i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the

gentleman reserves the balance of his time. is that correct? reserves? mr. rush: i reserve. the speaker pro tempore: ok. the gentleman from florida. mr. stearns: mr. speaker, i yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. stearns: mr. speaker, i rise in support of h.r. 2221, the data accountability and trust act, and i am very pleased and gratified that we're considering this bill today. i've taken an active part and interest in data privacy, i'm happy that the house members will now finally have an opportunity to vote on this important legislation which frankly i introduced in its original form in the 109th congress. as former chairman of the subcommittee on commerce, trade and consumer protection, ctcp, the energy commerce committee held two hearings in 2005 on identity theft. and security breaches involving personal information. these hearings led me to

introduce the data accountability and trust act which would require any entity that experiences a simple breach of security such as a business to notify all those folks in the united states whose information was acquired by an unauthorized person as a result of this breach. my bill was reported out of the energy and commerce committee by a unanimous vote. but unfortunately it never made it its way to the house floor for a final -- its way to the house floor for a final vote. today we are considering legislation that is almost identical to the bill i sponsored when i was chairman of the ctcp subcommittee. so i'd like to commend chairman bobby rush for his leadership in introducing this bill and i'm proud to be the original co-sponsor of the bill. my colleagues, importantly this bill requires an audit of a data broker's security practices following a breach of security.

the legislation also directs the federal trade commission to create a rules requires persons in interstate commerce who own or possess data to simply establish and implement procedures that protect this data from unauthorized use and requires data brokers to establish reasonable procedures, to verify the accuracy of their data and also to allow consumers to access to such information while also including important protections to prevent fraudsters from accessing this same information. the data bill also directs the federal trade commission, the f.t.c., to post data breaches on its website, making important data breaches -- this information readily available to the public. the ctcp subcommittee worked in a bipartisan manner to address a few concerns that were raised

about the broad scope of this bill. such as worries about duplicative regulations, but our staff committee worked in a bipartisan manner to solve these problems and so they have been mitigated. importantly h.r. 2221 does not impose duplicative, inconsistent or overlapping regulations. the bill ensures that any person whoist in compliance with a similar data security law will then be deemed to be in compliance with h.r. 2221. additionally with respect to concerns that were raised about the access and dispute resolution requirements for information brokers, the data bill provides that if an information broker is in compliance with similar relevant laws, then the information broker will also be deemed to be in compliance with with respect to that information -- with respect to that information.

members should also note that the data accountability and trust act only applies to those entities that are subject to the federal trade commission jurisdiction. banks, savings and loan institutions, thrifts and the business of insurance are not subject to the requirements of this bill. now consideration of this bill today is timely as data security, data privacy problems continue to affect countless americans each year. in fact, according to the privacy rights clearing house almost 340 million records containing sensitive personal information have been involved in security breaches since 2005. one of the largest known breaches in our country actually occurred in january of this year . at hartland payment systems. in this case, over 180 million personal records were compromised.

furthermore, universities across this nation have had names, photos, phone numbers and addresses of their students and their staff compromised or stolen. sensitive technology companies such as saic, science application international corporation, and large financial institutions such as bank of america have also experienced these breaches. hundreds of hospitals have had the personal information in their hospitals compromised, of their parents -- patients. earlier this year hackers broke into a virginia state website used by pharmacists to track prescription drug abuse. they successfully deleted records of more than eight million patients and replacing the site's home page with a ransom note demanding $10 million for the return of these records. breaches have also occurred at the department of motor vehicles, the i.r.s., federal trade commission itself, the

fdic, which is the federal deposit insurance corporation, the state department, department of veterans' affairs, the department of justice, of course the list goes on and on. often times these data security breaches can lead to credit card fraud and even identity theft which can require time, a whole lot of money and energy from consumers to simply repair the good name and to restore their credit history. so consideration of this bill, the at that data accountability and trust act, is timely. necessary to give the record number of data breaches that are occurring across this country the due and protection. so i urge my colleagues at this time to support the bill and, mr. speaker, i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from florida reserves the balance of his time. the gentleman from illinois. mr. rush: mr. speaker, i'm going

to close so i will close. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves. the gentleman from florida. mr. stearns: i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from florida yields back the balance of his time. the gentleman from illinois. mr. rush: thank you, mr. speaker. mr. speaker, as has been noted and is obvious here, h.r. 2221 is a bipartisan bill that is the result of a plausible process. it started in the 109th congress by representative stearns as the lead sponsor when his party was in the majority. it was voted out of full committee by unanimous recorded vote this year it was introduced by myself as lead

sponsor and it was voted out of full committee by voice vote. compromises were made on all sides to produce a good piece of legislation. i want to thank both members and staff on both sides of the aisle to work on this -- for their work on this bill. i want to thank mr. stearns and mr. martin, mr. radanovich and ms. schakowsky and mr. waxman. we need to move this important legislation forward. it is incomprehensible that in 2009 there's no federal law that requires all companies that hold consumer personal

information to protect that data. it is equally unacceptable that there's no federal law requiring companies that experience a breach to provide notice to consumers whose personal information was compromised. these nationwide standards are not only good for the consumers, but uniform standards are also good for business, good for americans, good for our constituents. we need this law and i urge my colleagues to support and pass h. are r. 2221 and 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 pass h.r. 2221 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 without objection the motion to reconsider is laid on the table. without objection, the title amended. for what purpose does the gentleman from illinois rise? mr. rush: mr. speaker, i move that the house suspend the rules and agree to h.r. 1319 as amended, the informed p2p user act. the speaker pro tempore: the clerk will report the title of the bill. the clerk: h.r. 1319 a bill to prevent the inadvertent disclosure of information on a computer through the use of certain peer-to-peer software

without first obtaining notice or authorized consent from the owner of the computer. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from florida, mr. rush, and the gentleman from florida, mr. stearns, will each control 20 minutes. the chair recognizes the gentleman from illinois. mr. rush: i ask unanimous consent that all members have five legislative days in which to are revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material in the record. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, so ordered. mr. rush: i yield to myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. rush: mr. speaker, the second bill which i am urging adoption of is h.r. 1319, the informed p2p user act. hr 1319 was originally introduced by the gentlelady from california mrs. bono mack and the gentleman from georgia.

h.r. 1319, similar to h.r. 2221 would better enable consumers to secure personal information. under h.r. 1319, personal information which resides on computers by making it easier for file sharing software programs more aware of the risk involved in down loading and running these programs, the p2p act will reduce inadvertent disclosures of sensitive information over the internet. under h.r. 1319, developers of file sharing software programs would be prohibited from installing their software or making it available for installation or down loading without first notifying

consumers that their software is capable of searching and copying files from their computers. they will also have to provide consumers with a reasonable means to decision able or remove the file sharing program. h.r. 1319 will not require user notice prior to installation for software that was installed prior to the initial sale of a computer, so long as notice of the installation of the covered program is provided in some other form. the p2p act would also require and provide the f.c.c. with discretionary authority and expressly states it does not apply to the federal government. mr. speaker, with that i

reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves. the gentleman from florida. mr. stearns: mr. speaker, i yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. stearns: i also rise in support of h.r. 1319, the informed p2p user act of 2009. for the second consecutive congress, mrs. bono mack has introduced this legislation because too many american consumers are having their personal information stolen and their lives wrecked by the careless distribution of file sharing software which more often than not is used to distribute copyright infringing content and child pornography. these file sharing software distributors can no long behr trusted to do the right thing. the problem of inadvertent file sharing caused by peer-to-peer program has been felt by thousands of consumers and widely reported by the press. recent high profile cases like

marine one schematics found on a computer in iran, or justice breyer's financial records, or the compromising of our own house committee on standards of official conduct committee simply served to underscore the dangers of file sharing software and the importance of providing american consumers with the tools and information they need to make wise decisions online. now, as a believer in the power of the free market, i'm willing to afford commercial interest the opportunity to simply self-regulate. however, the distributors of file sharing software have proven they are either unable or unwilling to handle their affairs without intervention. this bill is a logical consequence. now in the house of representatives alone, inadvertent file sharing has

been the subject of at least five congressional hearings in three separate committees. in each hearing, distribute yoffers file sharing software have come forth with a list of voluntary best practices or a commitment to correct the problem. but in each instance, they failed to deliver. the informed p2p user act improves upon existing law because its substantive requirements very narrowly target the problems of sharing. many users of software, including preteens and teenage users and their parents are unaware of the potential dangers of file sharing software. today by passing the informed p2p user act, we move that much closer to arming american consumers with the information they need to protect their personal information. now, i thought i would go into what the bill includes.

one, it will create a system where users of file sharing programs are provided with conspicuous notice and forced to give consent prior to installation, and activation of a file sharing program. and two, requires entities that develop file sharing programs to make it reasonably simple to block or remove these programs once they're installed. additionally, this act would require easy to understand notice and consent rule for file sharing software. it is my belief that when the consumer is provided with this information, he or she would make a more informed choice. finally, my colleagues, the informed user p2p user act ensures a narrow scope by exempting technologies like email, instant messaging, realtime audio or video communications and realtime voice communications.

this bill has broad bipartisan support including 36 co-sponsors, written endorsement by 41 state attorneys general, and the full backing of child safety groups such as, quote, stop child predators, end quote. i'd like to commend congresswoman boe know mack for all the work she's done here. the ranking member on our committee, mr. barton, obviously mr. rush, for bringing it to the floor and congressman dare roe for bringing it to the committee. i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from illinois. mr. rush: it is my pleasure to now yield five minutes to the gentleman from georgia, mr. barrow. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized for five minutes. mr. barrow: i thank the chairman of the subcommittee

for his leadership on this issue and for yielding. i rise today in support of h.r. 1319, the informed peer-to-peer user act which i introduced with represent arives bono mack and barton. we live in a world where digital technology connects peoples in way that makes all kinds of collaboration and innovation possible. there's no question about the benefits of this technology. what i'm worried about is the cost. it's made us all more productive, but it's made it easier for others to invade our personal records and rere-veal private information about us and our families we would never choose to disclose. this bill will protect consumers by making internet users more aware of the risks associated with peer-to-peer file sharing programs. all too often, folks don't realize their most personal and private files are visible to

everyone else on the network at any time. they're posting their tax return they financial records and personal messages on the internet and don't even know it. recent reports have shown that peer-to-peer software was implicated in a security breach involving marine one, the helicopter used by president obama. another high profile cased involved supreme court justice steve breyer. there are all kinds of programs out there, we're working to make sure this bill doesn't interfere with the scope of the project this bill is committed to protecting the safety of the american people. we have truth in lending, we have truth in labeling, i think it's time we have truth in networking. i want to thank congresswoman bono macfor her leadership and

congressman barton for working with us. with that, i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from florida. mr. stearns: i yield to the gentlelady from tennessee, mrs. blackburn two minutes. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady is recognized for two minutes. mrs. blackburn: thank you, mr. speaker. i'm pleased to rise in support of the informed peer-to-peer user act. it is imperative we heighten public aware thovepbs dangers associated with p2p file sharing and mr. barrow just spoke so well to those points and the reason this legislation is needed and why it effectively requires software applications to provide clear warnings to their users. because as the gentleman from georgia indicated, many people are not aware of what they are finding themselves in the middle of as their information

is exposed on the internet. in addition, the southern district of tennessee -- the seventh district of tennessee my district is home to some of the country's most talented and creative minds in the music industry and they rely heavily on p2p file sharing in crafting and bringing forward their music. however, p2p programs are notorious for stealing copyrighted works and this legislation does much to curb the piracy and copyright infringement while stepping up penalties that are badly needed for those that are knowingly and willingly killing out these violations. unknown and untracked predators have been given photographs of -- have been able to steal intellectual property in a system that had been void of any manner to track, or prosecute 1r50eu89ors. i want to commend those of both

sides of the aisle, especially mr. barrow, mrs. bono mack, mr. barton, and mr. stearns for their work in crafting this bill and i encourage everyone to support the legislation and i yield back. mr. stearns: mr. speaker, i have no further speakers. i'd just conclude by saying oftentimes we have very controversial bills. we had two consecutive bills that had broad bipartisan support. i think the american people can realize that the congress can get things done and these two bills are examples of it. i ask all my colleagues to support this act, and with that i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from florida yields the balance of his time. the gentleman from illinois. mr. rush: mr. speaker, i yield myself such time as i may consume for a closing statement. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. rush: mr. speaker, as the gentleman from florida has indicated, this is a bipartisan bill. it is the result of very

intense and cooperative process . and voted out of the full committee by a unanimous recorded vote. mr. speaker, i'd like to thank now both members from both sides of the aisle for their hard work on this important piece of legislation. i want to thank in particular mrs. bono mack, mr. barton, mr. beiro, mr. waxman, mr. rad done vitch for working -- mr. radanovich for working in a true bipartisan fashion and to move it forward. mr. speaker, i urge all my colleagues to vote for this bill and to improve this bill. and i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from illinois yields the balance of his time. the question is will the house suspend the rules and pass h.r. 1319 as amended.

those in favor say aye. those opposed, no. in the opinion of the chair, 2/3 having responded in the affirmative, the rules are suspended, the bill is passed, and without objection a motion to reconsider is laid on the table. without objection, the title is amendmented. -- the title is amended. for what purpose does the gentleman from georgia rise? >> mr. speaker, i move to suspend the rules and pass the bill house bill 4217, a bill to extend the funding and spending authority for the airport and airway trust fund. the speaker pro tempore: the clerk will report the title of

the bill. the clerk: h.r. 4217, a bill to amend the internal revenue code of 1986 to extend the funding and expenditure authority of the airport and airway trust fund, to amend title 49, united states code, to extend authorizations for the airport improvement program, and for other purposes. the speaker pro tempore: pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from georgia, mr. lewis, and the gentleman from ohio, mr. tiberi, each will control 20 minutes. the chair recognizes the gentleman from georgia. mr. lewis: mr. speaker, i ask for unanimous consent to give members five legislative days to revise and extend and extend their remarks on house bill 4217. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, so ordered. mr. lewis: mr. speaker, i yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from georgia is recognized. mr. lewis: h.r. 4217, the f.a.a. extension act, part 2,

extends the financial and a spending authority for the airport and airway trust fund. the trust fund taxes and spending authority scheduled to expire on december 31, 2009, a few days from now. this bill simply extends these taxes for three months. earlier this year, the house passed legislation allowing the trust fund to operate through 2012. unfortunately, the senate has not considered this important legislation. today's bill simply keeps the airport and airway trust fund taxes in operation in place until a long-term measure can be signed into law. air travel plays a critical role in our economy and in our lives. the -- hartford, jackson

airport is in my district. it has a direct impact of $24 billion on our economy. failure to act would prevent the f.a.a. from spending funds that are already in the trust fund. as a result, imported airport construction projects around the country will shut down. this bill also extends a number of authorized provisions, to honor the tradition of the transportation and infrastructure committee led by my good and close friend, chairman oberstar. all of those provisions was passed in this body in a similar bill that extends these expiring provisions. if we fail to act on this bill, mr. speaker, i will repeat, if we fail to act on this bill, the trust fund will lose the revenue that we need for airport construction and the

air traffic control system. i hope all of my colleagues will join me in supporting this good and necessary bill. i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves the balance of his time. the gentleman from ohio. mr. tiberi: thank you, mr. speaker. i yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. tiberi: mr. speaker, i rise in support of h.r. 4217 and ask unanimous consent to revise and extend my remarks. mr. speaker, this is a straightforward bill, one that will provide a three-month extension of the various exeyes taxes that support the -- the excise taxes that support the airport and airway trust fund as well as the expenditure authorities. these taxes and authorities are currently scheduled to expire at the end of the month, and today's legislation will permit this congress the time it needs to consider a longer term f.a.a. re-authorization bill. as the ranking member of the

select revenue subcommittee within the ways and means committee, i'm pleased that chairman rangel held a hearing earlier this year related to the airport and air waugh trust fund. i certainly -- airway trust fund. i certainly look forward to working with chairman rangel, chairman lewis and all the members of this committee over the months ahead to determine whether modifications to the financing structure of the airport and airway trust fund are warranted going forward. ways and means is clearly the appropriate committee of jurisdiction regarding these tax issues, and i anticipate working with other ways and means members of both parties to make sure we continue to shape f.a.a. re-authorization as it proceeds forward. i would note for my colleagues that under the congressional budget office baseline expiring excise taxes that are dedicated to a trust fund are assumed to be extended at current rates for budgeting purposes.

consequently, the joint committee on taxation is expected to score h.r. 4217 as having no revenue effect, just as it has for similar short-term extensions of f.a.a. taxes in the past. while many members on our side of the aisle would argue that the congressional budget office and joint tax should make the same assumption about expiring tax relief as well, that is a bigger debate for another day. for now, it's important that we extend the current f.a.a. excise taxes on a temporary basis, and i'm pleased to join with my colleagues on the other side of the aisle in support of this legislation today. with that, mr. speaker, i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from ohio reserves the balance of his time. the gentleman from georgia. mr. lewis: mr. speaker, i'm pleased to yield three minutes to the gentleman from illinois, the chairman of the aviation subcommittee, my good friend, mr. costello. the speaker pro tempore: the

gentleman from illinois is recognized. mr. costello: mr. speaker, thank you. the speaker pro tempore: for three minutes. mr. costello: let me thank my friend from georgia for yielding me this time. i rise in support of h.r. 4217, the federal aviation administration extension act. i want to thank chairman oberstar and ranking member micah and mr. petri for bringing this to the floor today. the faumplet has been operating -- the f.a.a. has been operating under a string of short-term extensions since the last re-authorization bill expired. short-term extensions and uncertain funding levels can be disruptive to the aviation industry and to communities because they do not allow them to plan for long-term growth. every month it goes by without a long-term f.a.a. authorization is a lost opportunity to improve aviation safety, security and to create and maintain jobs around the country. mr. speaker, the house did its

job and passed h.r. 915, the f.a.a. re-authorization act of 2009, a three-year authorization of the f.a.a. programs. for several months we have been waiting on the other body to bring a bill to the floor and to pass it. the airport and airways trust fund will expire on december 31, 2009, and the bill before us today, h.r. 4217, extends aviation taxes and expenditures, authority and the airport improvement program, contract authority, until march 31, 2010. h.r. 4217 also provides an additional $2 billion in a.i.p. contract authority and resulting in an annualized amount of $4 billion for fiscal year 2010. $4 billion for a.i.p. is consistent with the re-authorization bills as well as fiscal year 2010 concurrent budget resolution. these additional funds will allow airports to continue critical safety and capacity enhancement projects.

congress must ensure that this extension passes to reduce delays and congestion, improve safety and efficiency, stimulate the economy and create jobs. mr. speaker, i urge my colleagues to support this bill, and i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from ohio. mr. tiberi: thank you, mr. speaker. i yield five minutes to an expert on transportation issues in this congress, a true leader, the gentleman from wisconsin, mr. petri. mr. petri: i thank my colleague. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from wisconsin is recognized for five minutes. mr. petri: for yielding this time. in the 110th congress, the house passed the f.a.a. re-authorization act of 2007. that legislation we authorized the f.a.a. for four years. in may of this year, the house voted again to pass a comprehensive re-authorization bill. this time h.r. 9 15, the f.a.a. re-authorization act of 2009.

unfortunately, the senate has been unable to come to an agreement on this bill over the last two congresses. so for the past two years, congress has passed extensions of the federal aviation administration's funding and authority through the end of calendar year 2009. the latest extension expires at the end of this month, so today we're considering another extension. h.r. 4217 would extend the taxes, programs and funding of the f.a.a. through march of 2010. this bill extends f.a.a. funding and contract authority for three months, provides $1 billion in airport improvement program funding through march, 2010, extends the risk insurance program and extends the small community program. the bill before us, h.r. 4217, will ensure that our national aviation system will continue to operate until a full f.a.a. re-authorization can be enacted. as i've indicated many times

since the passage of the house f.a.a. re-authorization bill back in 2007, we need to pass a long-term bill so that we can meet the growing demands placed on our nation's aviation infrastructure. modernizing our antiquated air traffic control system and repairing our crumbling infrastructure need to be at the top of our priorities. but i have some concerns of the house passed bill, i look forward to addressing these issues in conference to develop bipartisan solutions on some of the more controversial provisions of the act. i urge my colleagues in the other body to complete their work on a comprehensive f.a.a. re-authorization package in a timely fashion, and while i'm disappointed that the f.a.a.'s gone so long without a comprehensive re-authorization, i support this extension as the best alternative to keep the f.a.a. and the national airspace system running safely until we can take up and pass a bipartisan and bicameral bill.

with that i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from georgia. mr. lewis: mr. speaker, i'd like to inquire of my good friend, mr. tiberi, whether he has any additional speakers. mr. tiberi: mr. speaker, i have no additional speakers. therefore, i will close whenever the gentleman from georgia would like me to close. mr. lewis: we have no other additional speakers so when you close, i'm prepared to close. the speaker pro tempore: does the gentleman from georgia reserve? mr. lewis: yes. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from ohio. mr. tiberi: i ask my colleagues to support the measure. i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from georgia. mr. lewis: mr. speaker, i fully support house bill 4217. simply said, mr. speaker, we must make sure that the f.a.a. remains funded. i urge my colleagues on both

sides of the aisle to vote yes on this bill. with that, mr. 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 pass h.r. 4217? 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 speaker pro tempore: for

what purpose does the gentleman from tennessee rise? >> mr. speaker, i move to suspend the rules and pass h.r. 4218, the no social security benefits for prisoners act of 2009. the speaker pro tempore: the clerk will report the title of the bill. the clerk: h.r. 4218 a bill to amend title 2 and 16 of the social security act to prohibit retroactive payments to individuals during periods for which such individuals are prisoners, fugitive felons or or probation or parole violators. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from tennessee, mr. tanner, and the gentleman from texas, mr. johnson, each will control 20 minutes. the chair now recognizes the gentleman from tennessee, mr. tanner. mr. tanner: thank you, mr. speaker. i ask unanimous con sent that all members have five legislative days to revise and extend their remarks on h.r. 4218. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, so ordered. mr. tanner: mr. speaker, i yield myself such time as i may consume. mr. johnson and i bring this

bill to the floor today, it's a stop-gap measure, mr. speaker. the social security act already prohibits payment of social security and s.s.i. benefits to people in prison and those who are fleing to avoid prosecution, custody, or confinement for a felony. the law also out laws payments to those prohibiting a condition of parole or probation. however the payment of retroactive benefits to those in such circumstances are not currently barred by law, this ensures that retroactive payments are treated the same as monthly benefits. the need for this law to be done quickly is because of a recent court determination that the social security administration's implementation of this prohibition for those fleeing prosecution or imprisonment was applied too broadly. without this legislation, the social security administration will be obligated under court order to make payments to some

of these individuals as early as next week. what mr. johnson and i wanted to do was bring this bill today and pass it so we can get it to the senate and give some guidance to the social security administration in this regard. mr. speaker, with that, i would be glad to -- the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves the balance of miz time. mr. tanner: i reserve. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from texas. mr. johnson: from where? the speaker pro tempore: from texas. mr. johnson: thank you, sir. you're from texas, too. thank you. the purpose of this bill is simple. social security and supplemental social security income should not be payed to prisoners, fugitive felons or probation or parole violators.

i ask all my colleagues to support this bill. this stopgap measure addresses a glitch in the current law discovered when social security began to implement a nationwide class action settlement agreement reached in september in the case of martinez vs. ashdrew. that limited the types of arrest warrants used to limit benefits to certain recipients. in the first phase of settlement implementation, notices will be issued beginning this week to 28,000 individuals. of these, social security recently identified 150 as prisoners. current law already prohibits prisoners, fugitive fell felons -- felons, and probation and parole violators from receiving benefits. the same law should apply to

retroactive benefits as well, but right now, it doesn't. that's why we need to pass this bill. if we don't, prison hers eligible for payments from before they were in jail may soon receive a lump sum retroactive check, some covering back benefits over three or more years. thanks in large part to the work of my ways and means colleague, wally herger, those with outstanding felony arrest warrants, known as fugitive felons have not been able to receive supplemental security income, social security, or social security disability benefits. according to the office of the inspector general, their data sharing efforts with local, state, and federal law enforcement agencies contributed over 83,000 arrests since the program's inception in 1996. while well intentioned, the martinez settlement nevertheless requires social

security to pay benefits that had been suspended and as a result tax payers are now on the hook for millions of dollars. we can and must do better. i look forward to working with chairman tanner to write this -- to right this wrong and draft legislation to suspend payments for those fugitives wanted for the most heinous crimes while permitting lenience in cases where good cause exemptions make sense. i'll reserve the balance of my time, mr. tanner, unless you have more, i've got one speaker. mr. tanner: we have no further speakers. mr. johnson: thank you, sir. the speaker pro tempore: does the gentleman reserve the balance of miz time? mr. tanner: i reserve. mr. johnson: at this time, i'd like to recognize and yield to the gentleman from california, mr. herger, who is a member of the ways and means committee. one of our staunch allies.

as much time as he may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from california is recognized. mr. herger: i thank the speaker and i thank my good friend from texas. i rise today to discuss an issue i've been involved with for many years, the land mark 1996 welfare reform included legislation i drafted that denies fugitive felons, along with probation and parole violator, supplemental security income checks. g.a.o. long recognized those s.s.i. disability payments were at a high risk for fraud and abuse and urged congress to act. subsequent legislation expanded that 1996 ban to include certain social security checks. these provisions have been successful in saving millions of taxpayer dollars and have assisted law enforcement in making over 86,000 arrests and

giving felons -- getting felons off the streets, including a man wanted in texas for 20 counts of child molestation. due to a recent court action, however, the social security administration now is required to ban payments only to fugitive felons issued a warrant for trying to escape arrest, rather than the broader group of fugitives with an outstanding felony arrest warrant. that action also compels s.s.a. to restore benefits denied earlier which will result in large retroactive payment of as much as $30,000 per individual. not only will this cost taxpayers millions of dollars, but on -- but i'm deeply concerned at the effectiveness of the program we set up in 1996 could be greatly reduced.

the bill before us would immediately prevent checks for past due social security and s.s.i. benefits from being sent to currently incarcerated individuals, including checks that without this action could pay inmates tens of thousands of dollars while they are behind bars. thus the bill before us is a step in the right direction. of addressing issues created by the court decision. but there are more steps to take. following release of an october , 2009, report from the s.s.a. inspector general that brought to light concerns with s.s.a.'s fugitive felon policy, i joined other ways and means members in requesting additional information on how s.s.a. has used the good cause exemptions

it is already allowed to make in certain cases. i believe the social security administration should continue to suspend payment for those fugitives wanted based on the most heinous crimes while using the authority it already has to make good cause exemptions as appropriate. as the legislation before us suggestsmark of those made eligible for disability payments under the recent court action continue to break the law and can and do wind up in jail, costing taxpayers thousands of dollars. i look forward to the inspector general's response to our inquiry so that congress can determine the best way forward to improve this important program and prevent the misuse of taxpayer dollars while protecting those who truly

merit relief. let's stop the payments from going to prisoners today and keep working to ensure the right people are getting the right benefits and that taxpayer dollars are spent wisely to help only those truly in need and i yield back the remainder of my time. mr. johnson: i yield back the balance of my time. mr. tanner: i yield back the balance as well, i want to thank mr. johnson for working with us on this. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. the question is will the house suspend the rules and pass h.r. 4218? those in favor say aye. those opposed, no. in the opinion of the chair, 2/3 being in the affirmative, the rules are suspended and the bill is passed and without objection, the motion to reconsider is laid on the table.

the speaker pro tempore: 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 orders, h.r. 845 by the yace and nays. -- by the yeas and nays. h.r. 4278 by the yeas and nays. h. reform 915 by the yeas and nays, h.r. 517 by the yeas and nays. the first vote will be conducted as a 15-minute vote, the remaining eelect treasonic votes will be five-minute votes. the unfinished business is on the vote on the motion of the gentleman from guam to suspend

the rules and agree to h.r. 845 as amended on which the yeas and nays were ordered. the clerk will report the title of the resolution. the clerk: house resolution 845, resolution recognizing the united states air force and dyess air force base for achieving energy saving during energy awareness month. the speaker pro tempore: the question is, will the house suspend the rules and agree to the resolution as amended. and i'm very worried that we don't have a singular data base between aid and the milton these projects. i'm worried that the training for serp was about committing funds but not about monitoring the oversight the large projects. who is in the command, general? who is the person that signs off on sometimes multimillion dollar projects that are much bigger than fitxing a window in a stor

front or much bigger than i believe serp was originally intended to do? it goes by levels of spending. i sign some. others have to go to general petraeus for approval. i absolutely agree that there is a need for walking around money, kind of serp. then there is a need for larger projects that particularly enable coin. and i bring up roads. sometimes people ask me, how can you build a road with serp? sometimes building a rod road is the best counter insurgency thing we can do. i'm pretty proud of where we've go gone. we have pulled together a review of all the money spent. it's looked at together now. we don't spend serp money without their team on it and we're allowed to be part of the usaid part. it's not perfect, senator. >> i think that's great.

i'm going to continue to keep a very close eye on that. i think there are -- there's going to be some problems if you all don't stay joined at the hip on this. i don't think they were trained to oversee large construction projects. i want be to careful that we don't drift too far away, especially fli you're work together. i hope you're handing off to aid where appropriate. thank you. >> senator graham? >> thank you, mr. chairman. thank you both for your service. when our colleagues go over to visit, i would just make a recommendation to the committee members. if you get a chance, go to the bagram confinement facility. general mcchrystal, you have done a great job. that is a, you know, i wish we had jails like that in south carolina. i mean it really is a very impressive facility. and i want to commend you and your staff and the embassy working together to come up with new detainee policy i think will

help the war effort. you've done a good job there. the narcotics court where we're doing some of the high profile narcotics cases, well vetted judges, secure environment. obviously we need to expand that in the corruption area. but those are two facilities i think where you can see some real success. i want to commend you both for that. now, make sure i understand the way forward because it's been pretty difficult, quite frankly, to figure out what the rules are going forward. but i think i have a better understanding today. july 2011, it is my understanding that we're going to begin withdrawing troops on that date according to president obama. and the only question is how many and how fast? is that right, general mcchrystal? >> that's my understanding, senator. >> okay. so let it be said that the policy going forward is that in jewel 2011, somebody in afghanistan is coming home -- if it's just one guy, somebody's coming home, right?

>> that's correct. >> okay. on a scale of 1-10, failure in afghanistan, a failed state, what would that mean to our national at security, one being inconsequential, ten being catastrophic. >> i believe it would be a nine or ten, not just because i believe al qaeda would move back in, but also because i believe regional instability as it would spill over into pakistan and other areas will be absolutely negative to our interests. >> ambassador eikenberry, what would you say to that question? >> i would concur with general mcchrystal's assessment. >> okay. how many taliban are there? generally speaking. i know you don't have exact numbers. >> our estimate right now is between 24,000 and 27,000 full-time fighters with some people obviously do part-time work. >> how much of the country do they have significant influence

over? >> they affect people's lives significantly in much of the south, kandahar, hellman up to kabul. they do so in significant parts of rc east. and then in patches of north and west. in the north, it doesn't change the pattern of life significantly for the average afghan who lives up there except in selected areas. in the south, because of their ability to impact things like the ring road and commerce, it is a significant impact on everything -- the way everybody lives. >> is theevery taliban a pashtu? >> the vast majority. >> okay. so that's one reason that's why they're a problem. that's where they live. now, how big is their air force?

they don't have one. i don't mean to be cute. they don'tcute. they don't have an air force. they don't have a navy. their biggest weapon system would be what? >> they have rockets, ground launch rockets. >> how have they been able to accomplish what they've been able to accomplish with thousands of coalition forces. 90-something,000 afghan army folks, 90,000 afghan police. how have they been able to come back so strong? several reasons, i believe. there weren't that many coalition forces or afghan security forces. >> that's a good point. if you had to rate the reasons in terms of the majority, would it be lack of security forces on our part? >> i would put that right with weakness in governance at the local level in afghanistan. the two together. weakness in security forces and

inadequate governance open the door. >> why haven't previous commanders asked for more troops if it was that obvious? >> i haven't asked commanders. i know there were some previous requests tabled. >> okay. >> well, at the end of the day, what part of governance has led -- is it at least an equal contributing factor to them coming back, the back of the afghan government to deliver basic services? >> i believe that it is. >> and one of the reasons they've been able to seize power, influence is they can provide services the afghan government is unable to provide, like resolving legal disputes. is that true? >> that's correct. >> so in the next 18 months, to roll them back, we're going to put combat power in that we've never had, right? and we're going to do the governance piece differently than we've ever done, right, ambassador eikenberry? >> we're going to make efforts, yes, sernt senator.

>> on the legal system front there are less than 500 lawyers in all of afghanistan, as i understand it. is 18 months realistic for us to basically recapture a lost momentum in the area of governance and security, knowing that at the end of the 18 months we're going to be withdrawing no matter what? >> i think when you look -- i think we can reverse momentum. i think the most important thing is much of what happens in an area determines who secures that area. if we secure that area and then we can provide the opportunity for the government of afghanistan with assistance to start to build those nation -- legal capacitities and whatnot, i think that is much of it. what's happened is a vacuum of security and a vacuum of governance together. >> yes, sir, that vacuum is being filled in different forms throughout the country. do you feel totally. >>er comfortable with the idea that the enemy now knows we're

going to be withdrawing but they don't know at what pace, that that's not going to compromise your ability to be successful? >> i think more importantly if we carefully articulate and strokly articulate the concept of a strategic partnership over the long haul, that's a much more powerful idea. in the short term, we have a tremendous additional capability being fielded in addition to what we're already using. as you saw when you were out. and then the idea of a strategic partnership, in my view, that takes the strategic horizon away from the insurgents. >> well, let's go down on some of the constraints that both of you will be working under. and i want the american people to know the job, the hand you've been dealt and the assignments available to you. number one, no matter how many afghan army folks are on the payroll or numbers on a piece of paper, we're only using 150 in this new operation. so i think that says a lot about the state of the army. another rule you got to operate under is the 96-hour rule.

as i understand the policy, isaf forces have to turn over a detainee within 96 hours of capture to the afghan government, and all they can do and field interrogations is basically ask them basic questions. is that policy going to be in effect as we move forward? >> senator, we're working through that policy, how it will affect u.s. forces as we try to move additional forces under isaf. i'm work with general petraeus on what the right calculus there. you mentioned we now call it the detainee facility in parwan. we changed the name of the bagram facility. that will go to afghan control. and with our assistance, they will run that facility. we will help provide them expertise, particularly in things like exploitation, effective use of intelligence. and so i believe in the long term that's the most effective thing we can do is build their capacity to do counterinsurgency

and we partner with them. >> could you send the committee a list of rules of engagement that each country operates under now and in the future so we could evaluate what these new troops are able actually to do in terms of engaging the enemy? >> there are caveats and -- certainly, senator. god bless. you've got a big challenge. >> thanks, senator graham. senator kirk. >> thank you, mr. chairman. general mcchrystal, ambassador eikenberry. let me render my own salute to you for your patriotism, individually and the people that you represent and thank you for your patience this afternoon. my first question, general, would go to you. it's a follow-up basically on the chairman's question about the disparity of troops. u.s. troops to afghanistan troops, and i understand we're working as hard as we possibly can to redress that balance.

just so we can understand perhaps what we're looking ahead to and what to prepare for, is there a risk until we close that gap in the trainers and the combat troops, that our troops will be viewed more as occupiers and, therefore, we may incur or incite further insurge entds and violence and therefore, perhaps even put our guys and gals in more harm's way than otherwise? >> there are several components to that. the first is we view how we are viewed will be based on how we operate more than the numbers we have. so i think it's important that our forces operate with a level of cultural respect and clear desire to protect the population. and they are doing a good job of that, although we, obviously, can always continue to get better. as we work with the afghans, they want to be secured by

afghans. but they are tolerant. they understand the need for coalition forces to do it, until afghan security forces are available to do it. so i would say that we need to continually communicate to them that while we are doing this in the bridging period, that we are working as hard as we can to create their forces. i think if they didn't see and feel that effort was real and significant, that it would be difficult to continue to win their support. >> and just to follow up. how do we communicate? do we communicate through our trainees if you will, to the population, or is it we who communicate as best we can in our combat gear that we're really here to help you and not to occupy? >> we do it on a number of levels. we start at the official interaction at the government level. then all the way down to our forces in the field and

ambassador eikenberry's great civilians as we partner to interface as auch as we can. sure as at the local devil, day-to-day interactions. we also do a number of communications activities where we use different media ability to communicate the reality of what we're doing to the afghan people. i participate in some of that. i talk to youth forums, things like that. in every case we try to give them a clear view of what our real efforts are and our real intentions. >> thank you. this is also on training because i've understood that one of the problems or challenges that we face in our training is the fact that the middle level commanders if you will, unlike our chain of command that's pretty direct and authoritarian, that a lot of these folks are cronies and they are appointed through favoritism and so forth. and i wondered, first, is that an accurate representation? if not, maybe you could correct

it. to the degree that it is accurate, how we react to that. how long would it take to train and develop the kind of chain of command that we feel comfortable then handing off to, to know that the population is secure and they are doing their job. >> sir, we have extraordinary military in the u.s. and so whenever we try to compare ours to anybody else's, it's very difficult because at every level in the chain of command, we just over many years built a culture that is very effective. what i do recognize and the afghan army and even more in the afghan police is, in many cases, there's nepotism. there's corruption. there's inefficiencies, and there isn't yet a culture that automatically produces those leaders. yet for all the times we see challenges, i go out in garmsir. mr. chairman, i think you met young afghan commander,

extraordinary professional. those kind of leaders of the future. if we partner effectively, we'll grow those kinds. it will take them a generation or two to get to where i think they want to be. but we can make progress. >> thank you. >> one other thing about this strategy, and i know you and i agree and i think the ambassador agrees that this will only work if we can work it by with and through the afghan government. and for everything i can see, you know, fraudulent sort of installation, a economy that's dependent on opium, corruption rampant throughout the government. am i wrong to say that we're taking a leap of faith here with president karzai and that my sense of it is -- i have no -- absolutely no doubt about the strength and the courage of our folks and what we're going to do. but the way i look at it, if there's a weak link in this formula, it's the bet we're

placing on president karzai. can you tell me if that gives you pause and, if so, your degree of confidence that this at the end of the day is going to be a sound bet and not that we're betting on the wrong horse here. >> senator, the challenge of establishing accountable governance in afghanistan, it goes beyond one individual. this is a societal problem. this is a problem of a state that was utterly decimated by three decades of warfare. it's a state that has two generations without -- really without education. it's a very profound challenge. we have programs that we're partnered with the afghans to try to help them to develop accountable governance. we're making progress in certain areas in the areas of law enforcement. we have a robust training program that us with the international community and the

afghans to try to help develop a more competent civil administration. it's a priority area for president karzai. we support that. we have major efforts to try to improve the financial accountability of ministries. we're making progress in those areas. but against that, this, it remains an extraordinary challenge. we are encouraged with president karzai's commitment in his inauguration address to try to place more emphasis on this area and certainly political leadership and political emphasis is going to be absolutely indispensable to make further progress. but it's going to remain a challenge. >> and, general, that's good by you? >> yes, sir. >> i thank you very much. my time has expired. i wish you god speed and thank you once again. >> thank you, senator, kirk. senator inhofe. >> let me first of all make sure you understand that i'm probably not alone in disagreeing with

the comments made by the senator that is somewhat critical of the way the serp program is put together. they've been three of my favorite programs, and i think i've been somewhat responsible for advancing that in the program in changing the ccif. what's good about the program is they don't have to go through all that stuff. i've probably been over there as many times as anyone else has. when i talk to the commanders in the field, they say that we've got -- anything we can do in three days, instead of three months is going to have ten times the value. so i'm hoping that you will continue to talk about the success of that program. >> sir, i'd like to throw something in on there. it's important for several reasons. one, whatever you do quickly, the afghans appreciate more because they understand. it also increases the

credibility of the localized leader. if that person can say yep and then produce quickly it raises his ability to do future interactions in leverage. and that's one of the huge values of it. >> we'll continue to try to enhance that program. let me -- several people have mentioned the agricultural development team. but not really giving it the credit that i think it's due. you know, people talk about the negative things, but, my gosh, and mr. chairman, i want to put this, without objection, so ordered into the record. and that is from 2007, the number of hectars that has gone -- was in poppy development. 193,000 to 153,000, 123,000. a reduction of 22% in three years. now i'm particularly proud of this because as we speak, we have 60 of our oklahoma 45th in a plane going over there for the

second time. and they come back and they tell me the success of this story and the happiness generated by their relationship. so i'd like to ask you, of course if you agree with that assessment and put this into the record. >> senator, if i could go first. i absolutely agree with the assessment. the development teams to include from the 45th of oklahoma are really making a profound difference. we have a very good civ mil agrigated element. each element brings their own strength. the united states department of agriculture have tremendous expertise. they know how to build agricultural systems. the usaid program. what these development teams are able to, do they take the best of the military. they have their security. they have mobility. they can get out into parts of the farm areas of afghanistan. >> they've actually had their

hands in the dirt before. these guys know what they are doing. >> absolutely. it's a great complement to our overall ag strategy. >> we want to continue to see that success take place. the -- general mcchrystal, i asked this question when the secretary was here. i didn't get the answer i felt real comfortable with. i'd like you to give me an idea. you put together assessments when you make recommendations. threats, low, medium, high. when you made the recommendation at 40, what was the threat assessment that you would have said was attached to that? >> moderate, senator. >> all right. then 30,000 would be what? >> we didn't try to grade it in great detail. >> it would be below that? >> yes, sir. >> well, that's -- you know, i think that we -- i would agree with that, and i think that the -- we need to have that for our own use to quantify some this. for only the second time since

president obama has been in office, i want to compliment him and tell him how pleased i am. i think there have been some unfair questions concerning -- in this meeting concerning the end game. because i was upset with the end game until west point. and in west point, the speech that he made and i'm quoting. the last thing he said, just as eave done in iraq, we'll transition this responsibly. taking into account conditions on the ground. now he said that. that's not you saying it. i know both of you agree with that. but that's the president saying it. to me, that means the ground -- the conditions on the ground are very important in any decisions made. it's not a calendar decision. it's a -- do you agree with my interpretation of that? >> i do, senator. >> i do as well, senator. >> okay. and the same thing. you made the statement, general mcchrystal, we are in this thing to -- actually it was secretary

gates. we're in this thing to win. we plan to partner for a long time to come. and keeping in mind there will be troops over there for a long -- we still have troops in bosnia and kosovo and of these other places. he said we're in this to win. would you define win? absolutely. and i absolutely agree with the secretary. we define winning as when we have our partners in afghanistan, the government and the afghan national security forces to the point where they can defend their sovereignty with very limited help from the outside. obviously, a strategic partnership. they can take this strong lead. what that then does is allows them to enable the people of afghanistan to build the nation, to shape the lives as they want to do that. >> that's good. you agree with that, mr. ambassador? >> i would say that it's very similar to what he outlined.

afghanistan has responsibility to take responsibility for its own security. the taliban has been degraded to levels that are manageable by their own security forces. al qaeda is prevented from regaining safe havens inside of afghanistan. >> well, mr. ambassador, i didn't -- the last time you and i talked, you were in uniform. i compliment both of you on the great job you are doing. lastly, because my time is about to expire, is people are talking about the non-u.s. participants. we're going to try to -- the plan is trying to get to the 7,000 figure. as i look through this thing and i have a breakdown at my request i got. italy and georgia are both at 1,000. all the rest of them, poland, the rest, are way below that. considerably below that. and if you add them all up that's 4,300. that was my math so i might be wrong on that. to get to 7,000, what can you do now? is there any obvious thing you can do that you haven't done

before? i know the effort has been there before. is there something that's open to us now that wasn't there before? perhaps one suggestion is that when the president made his commitment he first called the heads of state of our nato and other allies over there. and i think that perhaps that might have changed their enthusiasm for sending troops and participating. what do you think? >> senator, i believe our level of clear commitment on the part of the united states is a big part of the calculus. i think another thing we can do is we can encourage our partners to contribute where they can most effectively. what i am doing is asking for additional help in the training realm. >> yes. >> initial entry training and partnering because in some cases, that fits very well with what partners can provide. >> do you agree that the statement, that the fact the president called these other heads of state and told them what he was going to say and do was helpful? >> i certainly do, senator.

secretary clinton several days ago with general mcchrystal and i in attendance was at the foreign minister's conference of nato. and this was the first foreign minister's conference with nato and brussels since the president made his west point speech. i think all of our sense was the reception there with general mcchrystal's articulation of the strategy, understanding of what our way ahead was. it seemed to resonate well. we left brussels with some confidence. >> that's good. thank you very much and thank you, mr. chairman. >> thank you very much, senator inhofe. senator udall is next. >> thank you, mr. chairman. good afternoon, gentlemen. as many of us have said up here, i want to thank you for your service, and i look forward as well to joining senator mccain and senator lieberman in their upcoming visits to afghanistan as you begin to implement this important strategy. i know that we've all talked

about secretary gates and both of you about the limits of our ability to actually defeat the taliban. there's been a lot of talk about reconciliation with the taliban. and how we drive wedges between those who are interested in the taliban and its presence for political purposes versus those who are eager to push the forces of chaos and destruction and hatred. i know we're not in the best position to pursue reconciliation right now given that the taliban are strong and lack an incentive change. but i'd like to think we're doing more in this area than we have been and that we're working closely with the afghan government. could both of you comment on my question? >> i certainly can. i can start. i don't agree when people say we cannot defeat the taliban. i absolutely believe that we, and i mean the government of afghanistan with coalition help can defeat the taliban. and i define that by meaning

putting the taliban in a position where they can no longer accomplish their objective of threatening the government of afghanistan. and i believe that's absolutely achievable. i believe en route to that, as we reverse the momentum that they perceive they have now, we will weaken the resolve of many of the members of the taliban. and i think it's important in that process as we talk about reintegration that there be opportunities for afghans who might have sided with the taliban, whether they fought with them or just supported them to be able to come back under the constitution of afghanistan, under a program that must be supervised by the government with respect and with honor, not to feel like they have -- they are criminals being brought back in but instead being brought back into the political fold. i think giving an opportunity for that, if they are willing to meet the conditions of living under an afghan government with

a constitution, i think makes a lot of sense. we're working very closely with the government to do that. >> ambassador eikenberry? >> again, senator, i'd share general mcchrystal's assessment that it's going to be important to have momentum in order then to push those fighters and midlevel commanders that are out there right now opposing the legitimate government of afghanistan to make the right choice. but with that momentum, i think that the push won't have to be that great in many areas. it was interesting during this past presidential election in afghanistan, there were 42 presidential candidates. and they were all unified on one issue. all 42 talked about reintegration and reconciliation. so there's a desire out there among the afghan people to try to find a way to achieve peace. i know that president karzai is very committed to it. he did mention his inauguration aaddress. we await soon to have the

delivered decision by karzai to have the formal establishment within his government of a reconciliation, reintegration commission. with that then, i know that general mcchrystal, nato, isaf are very prepared to provide full support in an array of areas in order to help the reintegration program achieve succe success. >> if i might follow up on those comments. there's a perception -- there is a perception among many ethnic pashtuns that they don't have a meaningful role in the central government, particularly in the security institutions. is this something we're attuned to? do you agree with that assessment, and is this something that president karzai could take the lead on given that he is a pashtun, as i understand it? >> well, i would say that if you look at president karzai's cabinet, there is a very strong

representation of pashtuns, for instance, the minister of defense is a pashtun. the minister of interior is pashtun. operate, though, from that is there a feeling of disconnection from many of the pashtun population from their central government and i think that president karzai would say that there is, but that's the question of insecurity right now that exists in the pashtun tribal areas. and that's what very important part if we have success in the year ahead in the next 18 months of further deliverance of security that will have profound positive political impacts because it will help bring the pashtun population then closer to their central government. >> yeah, i would note for the record that the three senators sitting right here met with you in may when we were in afghanistan. we had a chance to meet with both of those ministers. minister wardak.

we were impressed with their plans. general, if i could turn back to pakistan. for me, my support is based as much on the fact that pakistan's inextricably linked to success in afghanistan. their reaction to -- the pakistani reaction is critical to the president's speech and his new strategy. i imagine that the comment that prime minister galani made last week where he said we need more clarity on it and when we get more clarity, we can see what we can implement on that plan. i hope that was for public consumption. are either of you concerned by his statement? >> not by his statement. i talk with the leadership and i believe we've always got to work through aligning our campaigns. but i believe they have a shared interest in our success in afghanistan, as we do in their success. >> general -- ambassador, would

you have any thoughts on that? >> no, i couldn't add to what general mcchrystal laid out. >> let me move to the concept that the president proposed, which is to move the bell curve to the left. in other words, get the troops into theater faster. i have a few questions about lifting the bell curve. i apologize for throwing them all at you at once. your confident you can implement the deployment of the 30,000 troops. what sort of challenges would this pose for you logistically? does this depend on a timely withdrawal from iraq? general odierno stated if the elections get pushed back, this could make things more complicated in terms of getting our troops out as scheduled. would a slower withdrawal from iraq impact the troop build-up in afghanistan? i see my time has run out. if you want to try and answer one or two of those and maybe field the rest of them for the record, i'd appreciate it. >> senator, i would just say that the deployment part is very

complexes, but we have a really good teamwork and i'm very comfortable we're going to get the forces in as fast as possible. >> thank you. thank you, mr. chairman. >> thank you, senator udahl. senator collins. >> thank you, mr. chairman. general, ambassador, it's great to see you. like everyone else here, i was planning to reminisce about having seen you in afghanistan in august, but since i saw both of you yesterday at the white house, it seems it's been taken over by events. but let me thank you both for your extraordinary service, which is so appreciated. i cannot imagine our having better leaders in afghanistan than the two of you. i'm very grateful for your work. i also would guess, having seen part of your hearing on the house side earlier today, that

you are eager to return to afghanistan and get on with the job rather than appearing here in washington before the house and the senate. general, you have such great knowledge and deep understanding of afghanistan. you mentioned in your statement today that you were first deployed there in 2002 and that you've commanded troops there every single year since then, which is truly extraordinary. i also know that you've studied closely the history of afghanistan. in fact, one of the first times that we met, you told me you were reading the great game. and that you were seeking to learn from the british and the soviet experience in afghanistan. at one point, the soviets had more than 100,000 troops in

afghanistan, and yet they did not prevail. now, clearly, our goals in afghanistan are complete ly different from the goals of the british and afghanistan. but -- the british and the soviets. but, still, that history, the british and the soviet experience gives me pause. no matter how brilliant our leaders, no matter how brave our troops, how successful the civilian surge. could you share with us what lessons you take away from the failed british and soviet experiences in afghanistan and why you believe that our experience can end up in a more positive way. >> one of the things i have learned is to be very, very humble about thinking that we have the right idea, the better idea and to be very careful as we go forward. i think the common themes that i

see that caused failure in the past is when the afghan people come to the idea that an outside force of occupiers or they are

the speaker pro tempore: on this vote the yeas are 333, the nays are 74, three are recorded as present. 2/3 of those voting having responded 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 is the vote on the motion othe gentleman from washington, mr. larsen, to the resolution 907 on which the yeas and nays were ordered. the clerk will report the title of the resolution. the clerk: house resolution 907, resolution recognizing the grand con course on its 100 ths anniversary as a preeminent thorough fair in the bore of the bronx and as important nexus of

culture for the city of new york. the speaker pro tempore: the question is will the house suspend the rules and agree to the resolution. the members will record their votes by electronic device -- device. this is a five-minute vote, 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: the yeas are 405, the nays are none. 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 chair will entertain one-minute requests.

the chair will lay before the house the following request. the clerk: leaves of absence requested for mr. abercrombie of hawaii for today, mr. gary g. miller for today until 3:00 p.m. and mr. reichert of washington for today. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. the requests are granted. for what purpose does the gentleman from tennessee rise? >> mr. 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, revise and extend their remarks and include therein extraneous materials, mr. akin today for five minutes. mr. paul on december 10 and 11 for five minutes each. mr. jones on december 15 for five minutes. mr. poe on december 15 for five minutes.

myself, mr. duncan, today, for five minutes. mr. moran of kansas on december 14 and 15. mr. inglis today for five minutes and mr. olson today for five minutes. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. for what purpose does the gentleman from oregon rise? mr. defazio: today following legislative business and any special orders heretofore entered may be permitted to address the house and include extraneous material, ms. woolsey, mr. defazio, mr. dicks, mr. connolly, mr. sestak, and ms. kaptur. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. . the chair will entertain requests for one-minute speeches. for what purpose does the gentleman from texas rise? >> request permission to address the house for one minute. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. mr. poe: madam speaker, navy

seals were in court yesterday accused of punching a terrorist. the seals are matthew mckay, jonathan keefy and julio her as it. they were part of a seal team 10 that captured the most wanted terrorist in iraq. ahmad abed planned the barbaric ambush of four blackwater security guards in 2004. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman will suspend. please take your conversations off the house floor. the gentleman may proceed. mr. poe: moism, the americans were murdered, they were drug through the streets, mutilated, burned and hung from a bridge in fallujah. during the public executions, our enemies cheered and front of news cameras. abed didn't say he was alleging the assault -- allegedly assaulted until he was turned over to iraqi authorities. the al qaeda manual tells members captured to complain of torture and mistreatment. it doesn't mat father it's true

or not. and besides killing, these folks lie. now seals are being court marshaled on the word of a murderer. al qaeda has learned to play the treat terrorists nice game like useful misfits. one word from the killer and the accusers become the accused. the military should try the terrorists for murder and give the seals medals for capturing him. and that's just the way it is. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: are there further one-minute requests? under the speaker's announced policy -- under the speaker's announced policy of january 6, 2009, and previous order of the house, the following members are recognized for five minutes each. ms. woolsey of california. without objection.

the gentleman is recognized for five minutes. mr. defazio: america's infrastructure is in an extraordinarily sad state of disrepair. in fact, endangering and killing americans. we need a new attitude in terms of rebuilding our infrastructure, bringing it up to a state of good repair at the white house. there seems to be some reluctance. the president said after his jobs summit that he to admit that shovel ready wasn't always shovel ready and he seemed to be referring to infrastructure but actually the infrastructure money is already 60% spent and under way and the other 40% will be obligated before its break to begin to catch up with that deficit. now, the department of energy has only spent about 8% of their money, there's all sorts of fantasy programs out there that were in the stimulus where money hasn't been expended but in transportation and infrastructure it has been invested and it's going to save lives and it's going to get

people to work with less congestion, less damage to their vehicles by bringing the infrastructure up to date. i'd like to try to bring this home to the white house because they don't seem to be listening. this was or is a wag bolt. it's about 60 years old. you can see it's kind of like missing the bottom. well, this bolt was involved in an accident on the chicago transit authority. this is what holds down the metal plates that holds down the rail. they have a life span of about 40 years. there are thousands of them on the system waiting to fail. now when the chicago transit authority got $250 million, that's a lot of money, under the stimulus bill, they spent the money in 30 days. 30 days. now these aren't just your old public works construction jobs. these are first off almost all private sector jobs bid out on contract. secondly, much of it was invested in sophisticated equipment and manufactured goods.

so that money, that $250 million, produced a huge multiplier effect. people were buying new buses. people who build buses, you know, were getting good wages. the people who build things to go on buses, tires, brakes, all that, made in america, they were getting jobs, too. so actually the shovel ready stuff was ready and is under way when it comes to transit and highway bridge infrastructure. like this failed bolt in chicago, the chicago transit authority could spend another $6.5 billion just to bring their system up to a state of good repair. and they can spend that money very quickly with a huge multiplier effect. why can't the economic team at the white house understand that? their pointy-head theories about, oh, infrastructure takes so long and it doesn't have a good multiplier like giving people money and with holding or green grid, whatever that is, where a money hasn't been spent, they can't -- somehow this is too old school for them,

fixingsing up our country, putting it people to work, manufacturing and construction jobs. we have 160,000 bridges, 160,000 bridges, on the federal system that should be posted. the american people should see a big sign saying, danger, the bridge over which you are about to drive is either weight limited, structurally deficient or functionally obsolete. 160,000 bridges. now, if we began a program to replace those, it doesn't take long. look how quickly replaced the bridge in minnesota. it doesn't require lengthy environmental impact statements or planning, it's replaced and fix the bridges, it's concrete, it's steel, it's workers, it's aggregate. it's made in america. you can't export those jobs. but somehow the people on the president's economic team don't get that or maybe from the back seat of their limousines they can't see that the bridges and the infrastructure are deteriorated and they sure as heck aren't on the creaky public transit system that are falling

apart and here in d.c. killing people because the infrastructure is so outmoted and so substt standard. it is embarrassing for the greatest nation on earth to be devolving toward a fourth world infrastructure. we're not even third world. we're investing less of our g.d.p. in our infrastructure than our many third world countries. we are formerly third world, now we're watching our competitors around the world fault ahead of -- vault ahead of us with beautiful new highways, with safe and -- bridges that are designed to current standards. but, no, we can't afford it and even if we could afford it, like taking some of that unspent tarp money or some of the other unspent stimulus money, they don't want to do it downtown. it's time for a new attitude downtown. don't jeopardize the people of america with this kind of outmoted infrastructure anymore. get it, guys. this means jobs and it's something the american people believe in.

the speaker pro tempore: mr. poe of texas. for what purpose does the gentleman rise? without objection. mr. wilson: mr. speaker, i followed the gentleman from oregon, mr. defazio, and i do share his frustration as well. mine is a little different, though. it's the cost of war in afghanistan and my concern is, as the president has decided to send 30,000 additional troops to afghanistan, i join my colleagues in both parties and ms. lee from california saying we should debate this policy on the floor of the house. i'm one that's very upset that this nation since world war ii, we never declare war anymore, we just pass resolutions on the floor, we give the president, whether he be republican or

democrat, the authority to make decisions and send troops into certain areas. i do agree with mr. obama, the war should have always been afghanistan and we should not have gone into iraq. but that's history now. the problem is we're 911 years after we went into afghanistan and now we're trying to catch up for the nine years that we spent or the eight years we spent in iraq. down in camp la june which is in my district, the day that mr. obama made the announcement that we would send 30,000 more troops to combat in afghanistan, i want to read, madam speaker, just a few comments that we -- were in the jacksonville paper. that's the home paper for jacksonville, north carolina, and again the home of camp la june marine base. with white house officials saying president obama will order about 30,000 more troops including a brigade of marines

from camp la june into combat in afghanistan -- lejeune into combat in afghanistan, local military are reacting to the news with skepticism and concern. further down in the article it says, excuse me, marine sergeant copeland who is scheduled to deploy with the marines in october said he approved of the troop surge as a means to assist troops already on the ground but believe a date for leaving the country was coming too late. he further stated and i quote, we should have dealt with afghanistan in the first place, copeland said. we've already been in this war for seven to eight years. we've got to call it quits. our country needs to focus on its own country now. that's exactly what mr. defazio was saying. this country's in bad financial shape, we're losing jobs every day and what we need to do is concentrate on this country itself. read just another comment, madam speaker, this is from h.m. 2, a

corpseman with combat logistics regiment 27 said he doubted a proposed time line would see troops out of afghanistan. madam speaker, the number of our troops with ptsd, with t.b.i. and with mental depression and anxiety is growing each and every day. again, i've gotten to know many of the marines down at camp lejeune from privates all the way up to generals. they'll go and fight for this country, they want to do everything they can to defend this country and they'd give their life, but we need to take into consideration the stress that we're putting on these troops. there's another article i want to make brief reference to that was in "the new york times," december 3, by nicholas chris to have, it's called "johnson, gorbachev and obama." it's about the vietnam war, it's about the russians involved in

afghanistan and now mr. obama's decision. i'm not trying to second guess the ps, -- the president he is oorks got a very difficult job, i wish him well, in fact i was one of the few republicans who thanked him for taking his time before he decided what the solution should be or what the strategy should be for afghanistan. but, madam speaker, i think that we as a congress should debate the policy. i said this just a moment ago and i'd like to say it again, i join barbara lee in a letter to the speaker of the house asking the speaker of the house to please let us debate the policy of what we should be doing in afghanistan before we pass any type of supplemental to financially support the troops. so therefore it's my hope that maybe in january or february of 2010 that we will be granted debate on the floor, whether you be for sending more troops to afghanistan or fewer troops to afghanistan, we'll come closer to meeting our constitutional responsibility than we've done

truthfully in the last -- since world war ii. madam speaker, i would like to close as i do always, i've signed over 8,000 letters to families and extended families in this country because i regret that i ever voted to give president bush the authority to send troops in iraq. that is my pain that i've lived with and writing the letters and signing the letters to the families is my way of saying i'm sorry that i did not meet my constitutional responsibility and vote my conscience on the floor of this house. so with that, madam speaker, i'd like to close these brief comments by asking god to please bless our men and women in uniform, asking god to please bless the families of our men and women in uniform and ask god to please in his loving arms to hold the families who have given a child dying for freedom in afghanistan and iraq, i would like to ask god to please give the house and senate strength to do what is right for the next

generation. i'd like to ask god to give strength and wisdom and courage to the president of the united states and i close by asking three times, god, please, god, please, god, please continue to bless america. i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from north carolina. for what purpose does the gentleman from virginia rise? >> address the house for five minutes, revise and extend. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, the gentleman is recognized for five minutes. >> i thank the speaker. madam speaker, in their ongoing efforts to stabilize the economy and ensure a return to prosperity, our effort must remain fixed on the saving and creation of american jobs. the actions of this administration and this congress sh shown progress. job losses fell dramatically and the unemployment rate dropped in november from 10.2% to 10%. november from 10.2% to 10%. the recession began in 2007 and