i think obama is doing a pretty good job. the jobs -- the unemployment line has went up since he's been in office. host: ok. st. louis, missouri. democratic line. good morning. caller: hey, how you doing? i was calling on both jobs and health care. host: ok. caller: it's a stall tactic, really. obama could have been done with the health care. it's just like -- they know what his plan is and we need both health care and jobs. .

it with not allow use of federal money for the procedure. baltimore, richard, on the republican line, good morning. caller: yes, good morning. i just feel that the health care situation is more of a smokescreen because without jobs nobody is going to have health care, period. you can't pay for something if you don't have an appointment to do it. i think the main thing is

overseas, the overseas businesses are able to create -- make and ship to us, the materials this country requires and we are doing nothing about keeping the markets here. that's the whole reason why our whole job market collapsed. there is no more businesses to be here to be had. nobody can get to work. insurance, the health care without jobs, you can't pay for it any way. thank you. >> part of this morning's washington journal. washington journal live every day at 7:00 a.m. eastern. we are going to leave this recorded segment and take you live to the national press club for comments from u.s. trade representative ron kirk. >> that has meant new focus on trade policy to assist small and medium sized businesses, increase enforcement efforts to bring home the benefits of existing trade agreements and moving forward with the doha round of world trade negotiations. even as he seeks new and more open markets for u.s. goods, meeting prom's stated goal of doubling exports in five years

faces challenges range interesting china's treatment of its currency to retaliation against u.s. trade practices such as brazil's list it released yesterday on u.s. goods it plans to impose tariffs. ambassador kirk brings more than 25 years of legislative and economic experience to his role. the first african-american mayor of dallas expanded the city's global reach through a range of trade programs and missions. previously he served as texas secretary of state under governor ann richards and as a legislative aide to u.s. senator lloyd benson. both democrats from texas. prior to joining the trade office, ambassador kirk was a partner where he was named one of the 50 most influential minority lawyers in america by the national law journal in 2008. he received his law degree from the university of texas school of law in 1979. ladies and gentlemen, please welcome to the national press club u.s. trade representative, ron kirk.

>> nank you so much for the -- thank you so much for the kind introduction. i think he just proved you can do this speech in about a minute and a half instead of the 15 minutes. i would make one correction if i might, mr. chairman, to your admonition to turn your cell phone. if i'm still talking at 1:30, please let your cell phone ring or beep or do something. we'll find a way to bring it to a close. it's a real honor for me to be at the press club today with you and your distinguished audience. i'm especially pleased to be joined by two of our deputy ambassadors, demetrius, some of you may have known from his career previously at ustr and many years of service on the senate finance committee, and ambassador shapiro who joins us as well from a career serving in various capacities in trade in

the clinton administration and running her own various successful international consulting business. they have made a wonderful, wonderful addition to our team and help us to advance the objectives that the president has laid out for us. alan mentioned it was a year ago i was before the senate finance committee for my confirmation so you'll have to indulge me on one very practical matter because when i realized that i realized i went before the senate finance committee on my wife's birthday. that means today is her birthday. if you are watching, honey, love you, happy birthday. but it felt like i spoke to another group and they asked me what the first year was like i said i thought the first couple years had gone well and they kept reminding me it hasn't been a year. it just felt like it was just a little over a year ago that president obama took office. and one of his initial challenges to the congress, to this administration was to

deploy all of our collective talent and resources to help get our economy back on its feet. and as we have worked to address those challenges, we have used some of our old shoes, but we also tried to incorporate new thinking into what the president believes should be the foundation for our economy going forward. we have also looked back on some others for their wisdom. so i was reminded in 1934 as our country struggled to make its way through that great economic depression, president franklin roosevelt addressed congress. he told them that full and permanent domestic recovery depends in part upon a revived and strengthened international trade polcy. that was pretty good wisdom then. we think it's pretty good wisdom today. in the 75 years since president roosevelt delivered that message, u.s. ex-ports have increased ex-- exports have increased exponentially.

today exports account for more than one in every $10 of america's income and exports support millions of jobs across the country. in fact in the last quarter of 2009, some economists believe that exports alone accounted for more than half of all u.s. economic growth. if you remember it was a year ago our economy was going at a negative 6% rate, this last quarter we were growing by almost 5.7%. our exports grew at a clip of 18%. in 2010 as the world's economy recovers, export driven growth will continue to multiply. and our administration has laid out an aggressive agenda to seize the full measure of opportunities before us. we believe those are opportunities that support the creation of more and better jobs, at least a fair prices, and more choices for consumers.

president obama has set a very ambitious goal for us to double our exports in the next five years. if we do so, that can support up to an additional two million new jobs here in america. he's also asked agencies across the federal government to take part in a national export initiative to help americans take advantage of these export opportunities. our office at the u.s. trade representative will play a key role, we hope, in helping the president achieve this goal by doing more of what we do best, and that's creating new market access for america's exporters. we can do that in a couple of ways. one, by enforcing our american's existing trade rights through our existing agreements and also negotiating new trade opportunities. our trade agenda outlines the united states' role in the community of trading nations and underscores the obama

administration's staunch support of the rules-based trading system, as well as our intent to fully exercise and defend america's rights within the system. if i might, for those of you who might be joining us by television, you can get a complete copy of the president's 2010 trade policy by visitling us at ustr.gov. our trade agenda acknowledges as well that our administration, frankly, has our work cut out for us as we seek to help americans restore their belief in the wisdom and value proposition of our trade polcy. our trade agenda steps up to the biggest opportunities and confronts some of our thorniest challenges that we face in the global trading system. and our trade agenda seeks to place trade in its proper role as part of the president's broader economic reform agenda. fundamentally each of these objectives is anchored by a commitment to the global

rules-based trading system. now, when times are good, that system promotes international growth and multilateral cooperation. and when the global economy suffers, as it has over the past several years, the rules based trading system can help to keep trade flowing. but the global trade system could support even more commercial and economic growth. so our administration is seeking to support that growth in a number of ways, and that's what i want to spend some time talking about. first of all, we are working to achieve and help lead the members of the w.t.o. to a balanced and ambitious conclusion to the doha round of development talks. and we think that has to be won one that promotes meaningful market access for all members of the w.t.o., as well as enhancing the economic development of many of the world's poorest economies. we are also seeking to resolve

outstanding issues with the three pending free trade agreements that we inherited in terms of panama, colombia, and korea. we are committed to resolving the issues related to each of these agreements for a simple reason, they represent great market opportunities for our farmers, our ranchers, our entrepreneurs, our manufacturers, and they'll help us gain access to new markets and create jobs here at home. but we recognize that we have to do those in a way that allow us to work with congress and other stakeholders to move them forward at an appropriate time. at the same time we are taking other steps to expand and deliver on additional job creating opportunities to america's businesses and workers in accordance with our rights under existing free trade agreements. i believe that through frank negotiations, and where that fails exercising our legal rights through the w.t.o., our enforcement efforts can pay off

in terms of new market access for america's exporters. we have already seen the results of that in many cases in a positive way. our efforts have yielded and saved jobs in the tire industry and here in america. we have won direct distribution rights for american content companies in china and challenged unjustified restrictions on u.s. agricultural exports in a number of markets from the european union to the soviet union to across southeast asia. we have expanded on our enforcement activities as well. and this month for the first time we will introduce a new, comprehensive report that will help us to identify and address troublesome technical barriers to trade and unfair restrictions on agricultural exports through sanitary and fito sanitary barriers. as traditional trade barriers

fall what we have seen increasingly is that in many cases nontariff barriers are taking place and becoming some of the more difficult challenges for american exporters. we hope these new reports will help us focus on specific s.p.s. and t.b.t. challenges and will use them to guide our efforts to try to redress some these problems. u.s.t.r. is also taking steps to address the fundamental problem and the too common problem, frankly, of the theft of american intellectual property because americans cannot and should not be asked to compete with counterfeiters and thieves. thievery this is piracy. i worry about using that term because it sounds too romantic. in the age of american kids who grow up with johnny depp and think that's cool, but it isn't anything funny about this. we suffer losses ever billions of dollars of create -- of billions of dollars of creative energy to america's exporters

and it also can have very real harm to american consumers as well. i have taken the opportunity over the last several months to increase our domestic outreach around the country. so i have been traveling around the country from west coast to east talking to stakeholders and businesses about what some of the challenges are and opportunities in the trade world. fortunately one of the stories i heard in detroit was the same story i heard when i was on the west coast and when i was in texas and others, but it was a woman, businesswoman who told me of her frustration in many of our markets in which she has gone into market, been forced to joint venture with another business, they make an order for her product, she ships them the initial order. then they frankly take that order and either copy it and try to reverse engineer it and then cancel the rest of the word. by the time she shows up to confront it, she's looking at her business product often not well engineered, already on the market.

i don't mean to pick on google or boeing. if you are boeing you can maybe survive and join me in a fight to recover your intellectual property rights. for too many of our small businesses, that can absolutely be a death knell. so we are confronting this plague of international piracy straight on. we are working with our other partners to try to bring to a conclusion the anti-counterfeiting trade agreement that will help support efforts to regain america's competitive advantage in these cutting-edge industries and protect the intellectual property that goes into these new products and services. we hope that we are able to generate the beginning of a new international consensus that will support legitimate commerce while marginalizing if not eliminating illicit trade. because benl property 2k -- intellectual property theft doesn't just hurt our small businesses, our entrepreneurs,

and investors, it also can harm unwitting consumers of potentially harmful and dangerous counterfeit goods. similarly we are committed to upholding basic international labor standards. when our trading partners violate labor obligations in our trade agreements, or deny foreign workers their international rights to organize, this not only hurts those workers, but frankly it tilts the playing field away from american businesses and will present an unfair manner. we are working to address those. our enforcement efforts go hand in hand with the pursuit of new market openings as part of a balanced, comprehensive trade policy. president obama has said that a successful trade policy is made when we get beyond the idea the new market openings and enforcement are somehow oppositional to one another. or that trade must always be a battle 2003 international and

domestic interest. or frankly between business and labor or trade at the cost of jobs. frankly between those of us who believe in trade and from my travels around the country, some of those who simply hate trade. this is too important to allow this to become balkanized in the way we do business in washington. we are seeking a trade policy that best serves the american people and will help them recognize that all of these elements are compelling interests for a smart trade policy rather than competing interest in a subzero gain. we believe honestly that the responses to those who feel like they haven't benefited from trade and to those families and businesses and others that have knelt left -- felt left behind is an important part of rebuilding america's faith in the value proposition of our trade polcy. in the president's 2010 trade policy agenda, these building

blocks rest on the solid foundation of belief and the ability of trade and exports in particular to produce the kinds of well paying jobs that americans desperately want and need during this time of economic recovery. as i mentioned earlier, i have taken this opportunity in this quarter to travel all around the united states. and i met with shareholders on both sides of the trade debate from small business owners in nevada to auto workers in michigan, from port workers in orlando and tampa bay and textile workers just last week in south carolina. i heard from many of them their very honest concerns and skepticism about our trade policy. frankly a lot of them feel like we have let our partners just run roughshod over us, but what has encouraged me is that in every case every one of them understood and understands that a smart trade policy that will opens markets, creates the level

playing field that america's exporters want and deserve, and creates jobs here at home is one that all americans can get behind and benefit from. this is the trade policy that the obama administration is committed to pursuing. as our trade policy agenda makes clear, ustr is working around the clock to help american businesses and workers of every size. not just those larger business but our small businesses as well. you might find it interesting to know, insightful to know, of the 275,000 roughly companies that export in america, 97% of them are what we define as small businesses. so that's 250,000 of our 275,000 are small businesses. we know one thing that they know that the world desperately still craves that phrase, made in america. so the president has said if we make more we believe we can sell more. if we sell that to our friends

and neighbors around the world, we can help create good-paying jobs here in america. in this difficult economic time this administration will fight for every job there is to be had. to targeted trade policy initiatives, our -- such as our small and medium sized business initiative, we are working to help create those opportunities and help americans grow and expand their reach. one of our areas of focus is in the dynamic asia-pacific region. the international monetary fund has forecasted that over half of the world's growth in the next 10 to 15 years is going to come in the asia pacific region. that makes this home to some of the world's fastest-growing economies around the globe. i'm often asked why do we spend so much time speaking about asia pacific? why do i talk so much about exports? again i remind audiences and first of all i -- forgive me i tell them i'm a mayor at heart and i start with the proposition

that 95% of the world's consumers live outside of the united states. as our former police chief used to say, that's a clue. if you look at the fact then that most of them, most of that growth is going to be in the asia pacific region, it's critically important that the united states becomes engaged in opening up that market for our entrepreneurs, service prode advisors, our businesses -- providers, our businesses and ranchers. i think it was great excitement and anticipation when we were at the summit last fall in singapore and president obama announced that the united states would move forward toward crafting an aspirational 21st century agreement that will guarantee american exporters access to this very dynamic market. many of you know that i'm speaking about the transpacific partnership. and we have begun our consultation was congress. we have begun our consultations with stakeholders. i see many of our friends here representing a number of industry that is have been

engaged with the ambassador, and we thank you very much for your input. during our initial round of negotiations, we will focus on how we can maximize export opportunities for small to medium-sized businesses. what we can do to promote innovation and competitiveness. also what we can do to promote regulatory coherence and make it easier for americans to export throughout the asia pacific region. we are also working to expand trade opportunities through other seeks in this important region. one of which is the asia pacific economic cooperation, apec. as many of you know, we have worked throughout apec to grow jobs, expand exports, and stimulate trade-driven growth of small to medium sized businesses and others. specifically in 2010 we have an ambitious work agenda to make it cheaper, easier, and faster for the apec economies to operate

within the region. we are also working on an exciting initiative to reduce barriers immediately for trade and investment and environmental goods and services. we think focusing on these areas will help american exporters to succeed within the asia pacific region, but we can also help the apec economies to become greener. in 2011 many of you know the united states will host the apec economic forum. president obama has announced they will host a leaders meeting in honolulu, hawaii. we also plan at ustr to leverage this unique opportunity to demonstrate our commitment to play a stronger and more constructive role in the development of the asia pacific region. we are also looking to further increased market opportunities within those 10 southeast arabian economies that make up the association -- southeast arabian -- asian economies that

make up the association. they are our fifth largers trading partner. within that group we are working to strengthen our trade and investment relationships. and in may i'll join my colleagues, a number of trade ministers, in a multicity tour that will permit us to exchange ideas about how government and business can work to expand trade and investment opportunities between the united states and asian. this is one part of the world. i want to make it plain while we explore these new opportunities in the southeast asia region, while we strengthen our regional enforcement, that we won't neglect some of our most significant trading partners as well. we continue to work with our partners within the european union, which is still our largest trading partner, to reduce nontariff barriers between the european union and the united states, and we are

also working on other matters to strengthen the bilateral and multilateral relationship with this important partner. within north america we continue to work with canada and mexico to strengthen the economic engagement between our three great economies. our three trade ministers recently convened in dallas under our nafta free-throw commission and -- free trade commission and committed to work together to strengthen the environmental commissions and begin to look at how we can bring about more regulatory cooperation, specifically with the goal, again, of making it easier for small businesses to participate in this extraordinary economic engine. these efforts and others outlined in our trade policy agenda are not merely paper commitments. ustr's lawyers, negotiators, and trade specialists are already putting in the hard work necessary to bring home the benefits of trade.

and doing so is not just a priority for those of us at ustr, it's a priority for all of us within the obama administration. president obama has made it clear that trade is an essential element of our administration's overall economic recovery. he has talked about the importance of increasing exports whether it's through our negotiations within the w.t.o., through the conclusion of our pending free trade agreements or through new market access opening opportunities. in the state of the union ave dress most recently -- address most recently in the white house business round table, the president has been very clear that to create jobs here at home, to boost economic recover i, and re-- recovery, and remain globally competitive, the united states needs to export more american goods and services to other nations. but we also recognize that a robust and aggressive trade policy initiative won't be

enough to get us where we want to go. reforming our health care system will help every american business whether it's large or small. i won't go into an exhaustive debate about health care policy, but i can tell you none of us can accept a default in which the result is that health care costs rise by 70% over the next 10 years. we also have to continue to invest in our education system. president obama and secretary duncan have directed more resources through the american recovery act towards investment and higher education than at any period of time in our history. we also have to invest in america's core infrastructure. not one of these things alone will solve of -- all of our problems, but if we do them in a thoughtful way, we can can help to fuel this economic recovery and create the good jobs americans so badly need and deserve.

in the words of president roosevelt again, we must revive and strengthen not only our exports but all parts of our economy. this is a big job. and ustr can't do it alone. but we will do our part to boost american exports, to support export sector entrepreneurs, and to increase export sector hiring. as we do so, we will continue to maintain an open dialogue with the american public. as i said when i spoke to the senate finance committee last week on the president's 2010 trade policy, we can use common sense to find common ground. on the common ground we can move forward together toward new jobs , new opportunities, and a brighter future for american workers and businesses and farmers and ranchers. i look forward to beginning that conversation with those of you today. thank you so much for the opportunity to address you.

>> thank you very much for your time, ambassador kirk. we didn't even need people's cell phones. it's shy of 1:30. we have a good amount of time for questions. please keep them coming. our first question is a philosophical question about the obama strategy on his trade missions. comment on the difference in strategy between seeking exports and seeking trade. exports, which the obama administration pledges to double s. about selling products while trade implies two-way concessions between nations. how is the obama administration strategy a trade strategy rather than export strategy? >> as todd gilman would know in texas, we might it more of an answer than a quefment you can't have -- it's easier, it's certainly more digestable for a lot of americans right now to talk about exports. but the reality if we are going to meet the president's

objective to double exports over the next five years, it's going to happen as part of a comprehensive trade strategy. that's why the president also talked about this national export initiative. so as practical matter what he has done is convene all of us who touch our trade policy in any manner whatsoever, he's tasked us to come up with the most focused, targeted, approach to expanding our exports using all of our available tools. some of that is what we laid out. some of that can be through enforcement. through stronger partnerships with our general system of preference partners. we are going to look at everything we can to open up those markets with the hope by exporting more we help create and support these jobs. >> clom's a -- colombia's president will step down in office. will he be able to see the u.s.-colombia f.t.a. passed?

and what is the timetable? >> august may be a bit ambitious. i would say this, president uribe and his team have been great partners with us to address the issues raised by many members of congress about the violence against union organizers and labor leaders. and president obama recognizes that this is a great opportunity in one case for america to get a huge win. colombia and panama are both g.s.p. fartherers in. the practical effect is that their goods are coming into the united states for the most part duty free. lost on many of our friends is the reality in the case of our g.s.p. partners, these free trade agreements are almost singularly about our ability to access those markets. we understand the concerns and are working as smartly as we can to try to address in a responsible way so we can move forward. >> two of the president's frayed

nominees are being held up in the senate. what is the impact of not having those two staff members in place? >> march madness is absolutely my favorite time of the year. i love it. i live for this. but none of you would want to coach a basketball team in which three, four of your star players are told they have to sit out of the game for no reason. they are grades are fine. they don't have an injury. they haven't violated any rules. but because of the unique wonders of our senate parliamentary procedures, we don't have an ambassador in geneva. although he has been approved by the senate finance committee. we don't have an agriculture ambassador. we are getting the work done. when i took office i had a chance to visit with one of my predecessors and real men tors, ambassador bob strauss. hi a chance to talk to charlene and carla and susan and they

reminded me, we have, we believe, truly the best value proposition for the american taxpayer in ustr. we only have 227 employees. we are stretched thin. when we don't have a full complement, it means the rest of us have to do more. secretary clinton made the observation when she testified on the hill the other day, at some point this begins to strain our credibility and the good will in a we have worked so hard to regenerate around the world. because the world believes you don't care. you don't have an ambassador in geneva, how can be serious about the doha round. we would be greatly advantaged not only just from manpower and intellectual strength these two individuals bring, but i think it would help us regain some of our credibility. >> several questions not surprisingly about the doha round. what are the chances that the doha deadline of this year called for by the g-20 nations will be missed?

>> considering that we have tried and failed three successive years. i don't know that i would put too much stock in it. i would tell you this, president obama perhaps more than any president we have had in recent times is fundamentally committed to developmental premise of doha. as difficult of a challenge as we have had with this economic tsunami here in the united states, you just can't imagine the impact this has had on the poorest countries in the world. we take very seriously the president's challenge to us to work collaboratively with our partners to try to meet the imperative at least the stretch goal from our leaders at the g-20 summit to bring the doha agreement to a close. if all of our partners are willing to sit down and engage with us, and particularly open their minds to negotiating across not only agriculture but

in services, and are willing to make the hard choices necessary to produce a balanced outcome, i think we can meet that goal. i'm proud of the work that we have engaged in, short-handed as we have been, to change the negotiating paradigm in geneva. we especially need, frankly, these advanced developing economies such as brazil, china, india, south africa to come to the table in the same spirit. >> last week australia's ambassador said his negotiating position was all products and sectors are on the table s that the u.s. position? >> we believe so. let me say this, australia, canada, european union have been very helpful, very open. but australia in particular in their trade minister, simon, have been very helpful in helping us to convince our colleagues, our partners within the w.t.o. that we have nothing to fear by putting everything on

the table. the doha round was never intended to be only about agriculture. for whatever reason we seem to have stalled there and been afraid to engage in services in manufacturing and these other areas. we believe engaging not only horizontally across all sectors but supplementing that with the sustained bilateral talks between the developed and advanced developing economies is the only way to get us across the finish line. >> is there danger that the u.s. could be blamed for a failure of the doha round? >> that's a certain possibility. but rather than operating that paradigm of blame avoidance, the president has told us this is important. forgive me for not mentioning this. if we get this right, this is a huge shot in the arm to the world's economy. as important as doing bilateral agreements are, which we won't

give up on, to get an agreement among 153 economies and have a major trade liberalizing impetus could help every economy in the world. but we have to get it done right. we think it's port staying at the table and we would rather focus on moving us to a position that we are in a stronger, more productive environment rather than worrying about who to blame if it doesn't pass. >> former mexican president has said that the relevant question about doha isn't how the w.t.o. can save the doha round but whether the w.t.o. can be saved from it. give the changes in trade in economies since the round was launched, is there an appeal to just scrapping it and starting fresh? >> we believe frankly that a lot of good work has been done. i know there's been a lot of attention on the fact it's taken

seven or eight years. as we recently saw in copenhagen with the climate talks, it's hard to bring 153 of the most diverse economies in the world to a consensus when you have the poorest economies in the world to. so most advanced. i don't believe we should give up. a lot of good work has been done , but we shouldn't be afraid of honestly confronting some of the gaps that exist. there are loopholes in terms of the use of special safeguards and safe mechanisms that make it impossible for some economies to determine what the market opportunities are. rather than focusing on a failure phenomenon, we believe it's more important to honestly confront the gaps and see what we can do to work collectively to close those. >> the u.s. is currently facing the prospect of w.t.o. approved tariffs worth hundreds of millions of dollars of brazil

over cotton. the e.u. is now alying to the w.t.o. to impose tariffs on the u.s. anti-dumping technology. how difficult is it to make others comply with the rulings when the u.s. fails to comply with rulings gone against it. >> first of all you have heard me say over and over again our support for our trade policy begins with the staunch belief that this only works if we have a rules based system. that has to apply to the united states as well as it does to our partners. and i would submit and put the united states' compliance record in the w.t.o. against any of our trading partners. where we have been found and where we have exhausted our appeal remedies, we have acted to come into compliance, but we are also going to expect all of our trading partners to do so as well. dispute resolution is in fact a healthy part of any trade

relationship. any american, any businessperson enters contracts every day and most contracts you anticipate and include how you are going to resolve disputes. they inevitably arise. we shouldn't lose sight of the fact if we can get this right, in the case of the european union, this is our largest trading market. we are talking about almost $3 billion a day that goes on between the united states and the european union. in the case of mexico and canada, each of these are a billion dollar a day relationships. what aim trying to do in our office is move away from focusing on those handful of disputes to a broader discussion of what we can do to work on some of these nontariff barriers and others to facilitate and help grow trade. >> given that, what specific trade issues do you plan to address during your upcoming trip to the e.u. and equipped? -- egypt? >> in the case of egypt we are just beginning this relationship and we are looking for ways

whether it's through either atifa where we can strengthen opportunities in this region of the world with an important strategy and domestic partner. we are frankly very proud through our work with egypt that we are now going to be able to remove them from our 301 priority watch list as they have made great progress in strengthening their intellectual property rights regime. when aim in the european union, one i have to do practical work. my previous colleague, who served as their trade minister, is now, as i affectionately refer to, the high priest it's for foreign affairs. she's equivalent of their secretary of state. i have had a chance to speak with carl by phone. we'll be meeting with him to begin the later round. but one irritant we have still is the fact that our poultry producers have been locked out of the european union for 14

years now. even though we have been to the w.t.o., we have won the lawsuits, we have taken it to their scientific community. we want to talk about what we can do to get them to be more client with that as well. >> what solutions is the u.s. considering to the brazil cotton dispute? >> we have a team -- we had a team that met with the brazilians, not last week but the week before last when they were in argentina. mike and secretary locker in brazil as we speak. ambassador sha -- shapiro and her team have been engaged with our brazilian counterparts if not daily but weekly. seeing if we can't find a way to avoid this retaliation. ultimately if we can't do that we have to work with congress to see if we can't come up with a means to comply. >> mexico last year imposed $2.4 billion in tariffs on 90 u.s. products after the u.s. shut

down a cross border trucking program. what steps are being taken to resolve this dispute? will we see a new cross border trucking initiative? >> we would like to. we were most pleased that the language that was included in the 2010 appropriations rider that wiped out the funding for the cross border trucking initiative was not included in this year's budget. one, we don't have that prib torrey language in place. president obama has tasked secretary lahood and secretary lock and myself to work with congress as well as with our partners in mexico to see if we can't come up with a program that meets. so concerns raised by members of congress, but also allows mexico to step away from their tariffs. i was in ambassador shapiro and which in mexico three weeks ago. we met with president calderon dwrectly about this -- directly about this. we have heard from u.s.

agricultural exporters for the most part, particularly in the west coast that have been impacted by this. so we understand the sense of urgency. we will work as quickly and thoughtfully as we can to see if we can come up with an acceptable resolution. >> on the general topic of w.t.o. dispute set elements, should they be made so they can be retroactive so countries can be published for violations that occur before they are found guilty? >> i'm a little uncomfortable with -- i don't know that i'm ever going to be comfortable punishing anyone before they are found guilty. part of the efforts we are making in the doha round as well is we have the opportunity to revisit our rules and compliance systems and very little attention has been paid to that. it's probably best if we address that in that form. >> in line with the national export initiative, how is ustr

and the administration handling the opening of markets in asia for u.s. beef exports? is the administration willing to be flexible in what product standards are set to open these markets? and where do japan and china rank in priority? >> we were cautiously opt missic, very proud in december when we announced after 15 years or so that we had negotiated an agreement with taiwan. to essentially get them allowing beef back into their country under the same terms and conditions that we have with korea. unfortunately in this case taiwan's legislative body acted to undo that act. so one of our first priorities is to work with taiwan in working with the new administration in japan to see if we can't get them to become o.i.e. client to allow our beef into this market. for those of you that maybe aren't in the agricultural industry. these are big dollars.

these are not insignificant funds. these are billions of dollars that affect cattleman and ranchers. but we continue to engage all of those partners to see if we can't bring them into compliance. again, ambassador morantis came back from about a 17-day trip throughout southeast asia and met with every one of our counterparts on this particular subject. >> what steps is ustr taking to china's national indigenous innovation initiative program which is seen by some as a threat to u.s. intellectual property? >> we are very concerned about the so-called indigenous innovation program. we were disappointed that china put this initiative in place, particularly after what secretary gary locke and i joined by secretary vilsack believe is a fairly productive jcct meeting last fall.

suffice it to say we have been engaging businesses here to bert understand what their concerns are. we met with one of the chinese vice ministers who was here in preparation for our next strategic and economic dialogue this spring and then the jcct this fall and this was one of the prime topics of concern. we believe broadly, let me say this not just with china, throughout asia, whether it's europe, china, canada, mexico, our objective is to just get government's thumb off the scale. we are guided by one principle and one fundamental belief that america's manufacturers, ranchers, entrepreneurs, workers can compete and win with anybody if you allow us to do so fairly. whether it's indigenous innovation, intellectual property, s.p.s. barriers, government has to abide by

certain internationally recognized standards. and our objective in every case is to try to move government distorting behavior from every venue that we can. and that's our approach on all of these. >> the u.s. government provides incentives for solar, wind, and other renewable energy projects through production tax credits and d.o.e. loan guarantees which are open to and obtained by foreign companies seeking to rebuild energy projects in the us you. what are we doing to ensure u.s. economies get -- companies get the same access? >> one of the initiatives i mentioned both in the context of work that we are doing within frankly apec, one of the critical elements, more exciting elements of our proponentsed transspecific partnership is our work to reduce -- to work with what we call a coalition of the like minded to try to move quicker to eliminate all barriers on investment and environmental goods and services. president obama has noted time

and time again, it's not just enough to rebuild our economy, but we ought to be looking more toward the future. where we can compete and gain a foothold. that we get a competitive advantage on the world as all of the world seeks to be more concerned about climate change. all of the world is in the race to go green. we think it only makes sense in those proven technologies to work more rapidly to try to reduce barriers on others. but initially we are doing it within the apec region and it's incorporated into what we are doing in our talks on the t.p.p. the speaker pro tempore: you discussed green standards. how -- what prospects do you see for some future advancement between the e.u. and u.s. in developing joint transatlantic green standards? >> well, our dialogue through the european union takes place principally through the transatlantic council. one of the issues that we have been talking about is how to be

more sharply focused on a number of issues that could make a difference right away. but the european union is a central player in our broader effort to have a faster harvest on the environmental goods and services trade initiative. so this is one area that we are working hand in hand with our partners at the european union. >> mentioning the transatlantic partnerships there is a question about the transpacific partnerships. as the us you talked to japan, south korea, mexico, and canada about joining the talks? would you expect any big new -- new big economies to joint talks this year? >> first and foremost, part of our excitement about the transpacific partnership is that it does represent one of the fastest growing, most dynamic, economic regions in the world. but we recognize that to move as quickly as we would like to do, and ambitiously, we probably were better served starting off with the smaller number of

like-minded countries, but ultimately our hope is that we get in on the ground level and help to craft what can become ultimately desired objective which is a agreement of the apec economies, which at some point would obviously include japan, malaysia, all of the other apec members. initially i think we were wise in getting the united states to the table early so that we can help to frame what will be, i think, one of the most dynamic and forward-looking free trade agreements in the 21st crentry. >> one country that would love to become more involved in trade talks is russia. your trade polsaygenda released on march 1 says you are waiting for clearer signals on russia's trade plans. how much clarity will it take for russia to enter the w.t.o.? >> that's probably a question more appropriately that when you have the prime minister or the

president of russia here, there is a healthy debate, i think, within russia on whether they would rather proceed as this proposed bloc of belarus and kazakhstan. we have made and were making very good progress in helping russia get over the final hurdle of its w.t.o. accession. we continue to dialogue with them. but to some degree this is a decision that the russians will have to make. but we believe in the united states it is very much in our interest, and in the interest of american businesses and entrepreneurs, to have russia a part of a global rules-based trading community. >> the u.s. and canada recently reach agreement on buy american requirements. but there are still barriers in accessing highway projects at the state and local levels. with such policies the u.s. may be sending a message on protectionism that the u.s. may

not find advantageous. can we expect to see buy america requirements as a standard for doing business in the u.s. in respect to government procurement? >> let me speak to the resolution of the buy american issue with canada that our office negotiated and we were very proud of. because one, for the first time we got canada to agree to essentially comply with joining the government procurement act through the w.t.o. of the give kudos again to ambassador shapiro who very quickly after joining our team jumped into those negotiations. one of the misconception abouts our buy american provision that was included in the recovery act by congress was that it was not w.t.o. client. in fact the president insisted and we had language within the bill that made it clear that the buy america provision would be instituted in full concert with all of our w.t.o. requirements

and agreements, as well as any of our other free trade agreements. and within that, for any country that is a signatureor to the government recurement act, they would have access to most of those funds spent at the federal level. until we negotiated this reciprocal market access for u.s. businesses, canada and its provinces have never been a part of that government procurement act. what we negotiated was a very good win-win swlution because for the first time now our businesses have access to spending and procurement, canada's provincial level while giving them reciprocal access under the recovery act. this was a very smart and good result for u.s. exports. >> question, what is the update on whether the ustr will take china's internominate sensorship to the w.t.o. as an unfair barrier to trade? >> i am going to assume this relates to the google case.

we are still dialoguing not just with google but other internet providers to make sure we fully understand what is happening in china. i know there are still very intense negotiations, frankly, between google and the chinese government. and then we are studying, making -- trying to make our own determination whether we believe in fact this is not w.t.o. client. and if the best resolution is to go forward and file an appeal. our preference, again my very strong preference, based on my career as a mayor and a lawyer, is that if we can get these resolved through direct negotiations or within the context of our dialogue with china in the strategic and economic dialogue or the jcct, that is so much more preferable than the uncertain path of what can be a two, three, four year legal battle through the w.t.o. i think we have demonstrated

pretty clearly we are not afraid to take matters to the w.t.o. we took china on on the tires case. we have a pending raw materials case. when i talk to american businesses, what they tell me in this very difficult and economic environment, time is simply a luxury they don't have. if it's going to take five years to get something resolved, a lot ofure business can't survive that process -- of our businesses can't survive that process. our first preference is to see if we can't get this resolved through direct negotiation rather than having to run to the w.t.o. in every case. >> in your background, background as a businessman, do you run ustr like a business? >> i wish. i would say this, having been a mayor with 15,000 employees, i never forget when i got elected mayor my city mayor said you can only be mayor if you accept the fact is the good thing is you --

i was a city attorney for six years, you have 15,000 people so excited that you are leading the city. and about 25% of them are into the whole ron kirk magic. they are onboard. they are ready to go. you got about 60% that, you know, don't know but they'll follow. he says, we got 10% probably. you got 2% or 3% that are doing something so wrong, so bad, every day. willfully, they just don't get it. that's the nature of 15,000 employees. the flip side at ustr, i'm serious, this is the best run agency in the government. we have for the most part about 225 trade specialists who we have, frankly, stolen from commerce and agriculture and export-import bank and they get to do what they love and that's focus on direct negotiations and market openings. the agency really does run itself. it is a great place to work. we have an exceptionally

talented team of dedicated professional people. >> we are almost out of time, before asking the last question we have a lot of important matters. on march 15 we have dick armey, the chairman of freedom works. on april 15, douglas schallman, the commissioner of the internal revenue service will be talking about the tax code. and on april 15, actor dennis quaid will just the prevention of potentially deadly medical errors. second, i would like to present our guest with the traditional obligatory and could have vetted -- coveted national press club mug. so now for our final question, which was actually mentioned in your introduction, remarks, ambassador kirk, how are you going to make it up to your wife given that her birthday was the

dominant thing on your mind earlier today? will you need to work some of that ron kirk magic? >> my wife is blessed to know she's the first thing on my mind every day. we had a great weekend together in new york and hopefully she'll be back up this weekend. i know all of you that know her will call and help share the love with me and help rescue me from this faux pas. >> thank you for coming today, ambassador kirk. i would also like to thank the national press club staff, including its broadcast and library for organizing today's event. for more information about joining the national press club and how to acquire a copy of today's program, please go to our website www.press.org. thank you. this meeting is adjourned.

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the speaker: the house will be in order. the prayer will be offered by the chaplain, father coughlin. chaplain coughlin: greet the world with saum that the whole day be filled with blessing. for the lord of creation rejoices and it is with his people. may all the peoples of the earth turn to their redeemer and seek justice for the most forsaken. lord, grant healing to the sick and freedom to the addicted. may today be a new beginning of

goodness and lead to peace. such is our prayer and our hope in you, o lord, both now and forever. amen. the speaker: the chair has examined the journal of the last day's proceedings and announces to the house his approval thereof. pursuant to clause 1 of rule 1, the journal stands approved. the pledge of allegiance will be led by the gentleman from texas, congressman poe. mr. poe: please join me in the pledge of allegiance. i pledge allegiance to the flag of the united states of america and to the republic for which it stands, one nation under god, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. the speaker pro tempore: the chair lays before the house a communication.

the clerk: the honorable the speaker, house of representatives. madam, i write to inform you that as of 5:00 p.m. monday, march 8, i will resign my position as the federal representative for the 29th congressional district. signed, sincerely, eric j. massa, member of congress. the speaker pro tempore: under clause 5-d of rule 20, the chair announces to the house that in light of the resignation of the gentleman from new york, mr. massa, the whole number of the house is 431. the chair lays before the house a communication. the clerk: the honorable the speaker, house of representatives. madam, pursuant to the permission granted in clause 2-h of rule 2 of the rules of the u.s. house of representatives, the clerk received the following message from the secretary of the senate on march 5, 2010, at 3:03 p.m.

that the senate passed senate 2961. that the senate agreed to without amendment house concurrent resolution 236. that the senate agreed to without amendment house concurrent resolution 239. appointments, board of directors of the office of compliance. with best wishes i am, signed, sincerely, deborah springs, for lorraine c. miller, clerk of the house. the speaker pro tempore: the chair lays before the house a communication. the clerk: the honorable the speaker, house of representatives. madam, this is to notify you formally pursuant to rule 8 of the rules of the u.s. house of representatives i have been served with a grand jury subpoena for testimony by the united states district court for the eastern district of michigan. after consultation with the office of the general counsel, i have determined that compliance with the subpoena is consistent with the precedents and privileges of the house.

signed, sincerely, andrea brag, office manager. the speaker pro tempore: pursuant to section 301 of the congressional accountability act of 19952 u.s.c. 1381 as amended by public law 111-114, the chair announces on behalf of the speaker and minority leader of the house of representatives and the majority and minority leaders of the united states senate their joint appointments of the following individuals on march 5, 2010, each to a five-year term on the board of directors of the office of compliance. the chair: susan s. rob fogel of new york, barbara child wallace of mississippi, and in addition, their joint designation of barbara l. kamen, washington, d.c., as chair. the speaker pro tempore: the chair will entertain requests for one-minute speeches.

for what purpose does the gentleman from northern mariana islands rise? mr. sablan: i ask unanimous consent to address the house for one minute. and revise and extend my remarks. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. mr. sablan: thank you very much. madam speaker, i rise to pay tribute to a man who served her country and served the northern marianas with great honor and distinction. the honorable francisco ada passed away on march 2. his state funeral is on wednesday. he brought himself up by his own efforts but his efforts pulled others up as well. he had to go to guam to get a high school diploma but returned home to teach others. he went on to hawaii to get a college degreen and returned home to help his community. he served as district administrator for the united nations trust territory of the pacific islands overseeing the mariana islands and the northern mariana islands transition to a commonwealth of

united states. then he was elected as her first lieutenant governor. though a public figure, he never lost thoughts with his family. his guidance shows the family is one of the most distinguished, a doctor, lawyers, public servants, each in their own right in many ways, francisco's greatest legacy. i thank you, madam speaker. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. for what purpose does the gentleman from texas seek recognition? mr. poe: request permission to address the house for one minute. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. mr. poe: madam speaker, the united states broke away from our mother country over 200 years ago. the decision to throw off a royal rulers looks even better today. england has government-run health care and it's dangerous to one's health. recently the daily mail reported the story of cane gordie. cane was a 22-year-old man who had hip replacement surgery under england's government-run

health care system. afterwards reports say he was neglected by hospital staff, he was not even given his medications. he was um mobile. he couldn't even get a drink of water on his own. so cane called the police and begged them to bring him some water. when the police showed up, they were turned away by hospital staff who said, cane was a problem patient. the next day cane died of theirs in that government-run hospital in london. the police are investigating. madam speaker, importing government-run health care to america would be unhealthy for everybody. just ask the family of cane gordie who died of dehydration in that british-run hospital. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman's time has expired. mr. poe: that's just the way it is. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from ohio seek recognition? >> good afternoon, madam speaker, i request permission to address the house for one minute. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. mr. kucinich: in 2001, i joined

the house in voting for the authorization for the use of military force. nearly nine years it's become clear that the authorization for the use of military force is being used carte blanche for circumventing congress' role as a co-equal branch of government. the obama administration has cited the 2001 authorization use of military force as justification for the military escalation in afghanistan, for holding prisoners indefinitely at guantanamo, and even for mass domestic spying on u.s. citizens in violation of our most constitutional -- basic constitutional principles. tomorrow the house will consider h.con.res. 248, a resolution that would require the president to withdraw u.s. armed forces from afghanistan by december 31, 2010. as u.s. armed forces and our allies begin the first of a series of large military

operations in afghanistan, this house must be heard from. we must reclaim our constitutional responsibility and responsibility to the american people. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. for what purpose does the gentleman from texas seek recognition? >> address the house for one minute. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. mr. neugebauer: madam speaker, in today's "wall street journal" director of congressional budget office, douglas elmandorf stated the u.s. federal budget deficit is on a trajectory that poses significant economic risks. the u.s. is nearing unfamiliar territory in its level of public debt. in fact the report by the c.b.o. shows that the president's budget drives debt to an alarming 90% of our economy by 2020, making the u.s. public debt load one of the highest. the federal government must rein in spending and federal costs just as families and businesses are doing. we have two paths to set our

compass one. one is towards empowerment or entitlement. one offers opportunity and hope, the other offers uncertainties. americans deserve as a choice that gets a budget and economy back on a sustainable path. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. for what purpose does the gentleman from virginia seek recognition? >> i ask unanimous consent to speak for one minute. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. >> within weeks in my district we will be upon summer construction season. construction is not a democrat idea or republican idea. it's something we need to do to rebuild america. in fact, we would be well on our way if it wasn't for the guy nantic -- die ganttic snowstorms. we have a chance across the aisle in a short period of time a dress the issue of construction. for my nieces and nephews, summer may mean a time off from school, for many small businesses it means a time to gear up.

many have taken losses year after year, quarter after quarter in the hopes this year will be the time we get back on top. if housing starts are not going to pick up in time. we know we can build other things. we can build infrastructure. we can retrofit building stock. these are good jobs that rebuild the competitive advantage of this country. this town is too paralyzed by partisanship. we have an opportunity you need this summer construction season. we will not flirt with a double-digit recession just as we are starting to pull out of it. these are good commonsense ideas that make sense on main street. that's what we need to be fighting for here. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. for what purpose does the gentleman from indiana rise? mr. pence: i ask unanimous consent to address the house for one minute. revise and extend my remarks, madam speaker. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. mr. pence: thank you. federal spending is out of control. and the american people know it. our nation epic proportion.

in the past five years federal spending has gone from a historic average of 20% of american economy to nearly 20% today and it's rising. according to the congressional budget office, the first five months of this fiscal year the federal government ran a deficit of $655 billion keeping the country on track for a record $1.6 trillion devers this year. . after years of trying to rein in federal spending, the american people want fiscal discipline and they want new ideas. that's why congressman jeb hensarling, john campbell and myself introduced the spending limit amendment to the constitution of the united states. under our amendment, absent declaration of war, a 2/3 vote in the congress, congress will be required to adhere to its historic percentage of the economy. for the last 60 years we've only taken 20 cents on the american dollar out of this economy. it's time we put that limit in the constitution of the united

states. if we fail to act our children will be less free, less prosperous and less secure. it's time for a spending limit amendment to the constitution of the united states. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. for what purpose does the gentleman from texas rise? mr. smith: unanimous consent to revise and extend -- address the house for one minute and to revise and extend my remarks. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. mr. smith: madam speaker, more than 10 -- excuse me -- more than seven in 10 americans say new sources are biased, according to a recent survey by the pew research center. this is consistent across party lines. eight in 10 republicans say that news is slanted as well as 2/3 of the democrats and 3/4 of the independents. not surprisingly, this is the fifth recent poll that has found americans don't trust the media. the reason is simple. on important issues like job creation, government spending, treatment of terrorists and the

senate reconciliation procedure, the national media present the news from a liberal point of view. if they want to restore americans' trust, they should report all the facts, not just one side. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. for what purpose does the gentleman from south carolina rise? willard boyle madam speaker, -- mr. wilson: madam speaker, i wish to address the house for one minute and to revise and extend my remarks. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. mr. wilson: spending is killed for yucca mountain. without a safe and secure area like yucca mountain, nuclear research won't continue. last year, the charleston post and courier blasted the president's decision as breathtakingly irresponsible. on february 17 they said the president's lack of faith in using yucca mountain for nuclear waste sends a mixed signal to americans.

the "greenville news" said the obama administration has broken a longstanding federal promise to deal with the nuclear waste. in "the lexington chronicle," an editorial said liberals would stick us with nuclear waste. i urge congress and the administration to put politics aside on this issue. it is a serious implication for america's nuclear future. in conclusion, god bless our troops and we will never forget september 11 and the global war on terrorism. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. for what purpose does the gentleman from utah rise? >> unanimous consent to address the house for one minute. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. mr. bishop: nasa unveiled a new interactive computer simulation that allows children to pretend to be going to the space station and mars and beyond. sometimes our new nasa

administrators are too shy. what they failed to announce is that they're also the preliminary designer that the constellation was finished. there are no technical issues that can stop constellation from doing that for which it was designed, to replace the space shuttle with the flight capacity that is 10 times safer than the space shuttle. see, madam speaker, it's nice to come up with computer games to inspire kids, but it's also cruel to stop the only programs that can make those dreams a reality. there is nothing technically that can stop constellation from fulfilling its mission except politics. thanks, nasa. i yield back my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. for what purpose does the gentleman from new york seek recognition? >> i ask unanimous consent to address the house for one minute. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. mr. lee: i rise this afternoon to honor a true american hero,

u.s. army specialist allen vixus, a native of wheatfield, new york. sadly on march 1 while serving his second tour of duty, the specialist lost his life when he was constructed by a roadside bomb in afghanistan. the specialist enlisted in the army shortly after graduated from niagara wheatfield high school in 2006 and hoped to serve his country. he enjoyed spending time outside, whether it was going for a hike, riding on his motorcycle or his four-wheeler. and he enjoyed spending time with those he loved, his family and his friends. as his step mother said, allen loved being in the army. he was proud of his work. he made us proud. he made his daughter proud. i ask that the house join me in thanking specialist vixus for his honorable service to our great nation. and i extend our condolences to

his family and friends who had taken allen from them far too soon. with that i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized yields back. -- the gentleman yields back. for what purpose does the gentleman from georgia rise? mr. broun: to address the house for one minute and to revise and extend my remarks. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. mr. broun: thank you, madam speaker. the 110th congress -- the 111th congress is starting its 10th week of this nation, and what sh we done to help the american family and our -- have we done to help the american familiar -- family? absolutely nothing, madam speaker. absolutely nothing. we have done nothing to create jobs, that would lower the health care costs or jump-start our struggling economy. instead, congressional leaders continue to show their arrogance, ignorance and incompetence by ramming through

job-killing legislation. they'll increase taxes and increase uncertainty for families and businesses. madam speaker, 15 million americans are without jobs. yet, democratic leaders are still forcing their unpopular and unconstitutional health care mandates and implementing policies that will actually discourage job growth. the american people want washington to start over. it's time for congressional leaders to listen to the american people and work on real issues and real solutions. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. for what purpose does the gentleman from tennessee seek recognition? >> i ask unanimous consent to speak to the house for one minute and to revise and extend my remarks. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. mr. roe: thank you, madam speaker. democrats are once again rushing to meet an artificial deadline to take over our

health care. it's clear the american people don't want this bill. republicans have been clear about why reforms being proposed should be scrapped. this proposal will increase costs, decrease quality and decrease access to care for the vast majority of americans. i can say this unequivocally as a physician and as a tennessee res. didn't who has -- resident who has experienced tenncare. they will have to lay off workers and cut back odge wages to deal with the new mandates. the end result is what we're dealing with in tennessee right now, rationed care. to beat its budget, they're limiting 10care patients with no more than eight visits to a physician and $10 million paid to providers. while we can't make our state medicaid program to work as it is, people in congress want to expand it. in the end, what's happening in tennessee is going to happen in america. and that's the wrong solution. i yield back.

the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. pursuant to clause 8 of rule 20, the chair will postpone further proceedings today on motions to suspend the rules on which a recorded vote or the yeas and nays are ordered or on which the vote inoccurs objection under clause 6 of rule 20. recorded votes on postponed questions will be taken after 6:30 p.m. today. for what purpose does the gentleman from washington seek recognition? >> madam speaker, i move to suspend the rules and pass house resolution 1055, supporting the designation of national robotics week as an annual event. the speaker pro tempore: pursuant to the rule -- the clerk will read -- report the title of the resolution. the clerk: house resolution 1055, resolution supporting the designation of national robotics week as an annual event.

the speaker pro tempore: pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from washington, mr. baird, and the gentleman from texas, mr. hall, each will control 20 minutes. the chair recognizes the gentleman from washington. mr. baird: madam 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.res. 1055, the resolution now under consideration. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. mr. baird: thank you, madam speaker. i yield myself such time as i may consume. i rise today in support of h.res. 1055, a resolution supporting the designation of national robotics week as an annual event. national robotics week is observed the second week of april. its purpose is to celebrate the united states as a leader in robotics technology development, to educate the public about how robotics technology impacts our society and to inspire students of all ages to pursue careers in

robotics and other science, technology, engineering and mathematics fields. robotics technology is an increasingly important technology in the united states innovation and competitiveness, helping to increase jobs and productivity. it's transformed its implications for a broad range of sectors including health care, national defense, homeland security, energy, manufacturing, transportation and agriculture. at the same time, as the united states struggles to maintain a highly skilled stem work force, robotics technology has the ability to inspire young people and get them excited about science and technology. it is precisely this kind of enthusiasm that robotics technology and robotics competition helps our young children to get them jobs in stem fields. i want to thank mike doyle and phil gingrey from georgia for introducing this bipartisan resolution, representatives doyle and gingrey are the co-chair of the congressional robotics caucus and they

educate members of congress about robotics technology and the important role that it plays in our competitiveness. i would urge support of this resolution, and at this point would reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves. the chair recognizes the gentleman from texas. mr. hall: madam speaker, i rise in support of h.r. 1055, supporting the goals and ideals of national robotics week, and i yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. hall: national robotics week, which annually occurs during the second full week of april, recognizes the transformative role of robotics technology, the ability of robotics to inspire and educate and the need to underscore education at all levels. this event celebrates the u.s. as the leader in robotics technology which becomes more prevalent in our lives with each passing year. the mission of national robotics week is to educate the public about the social and

cultural impacts of robotics technology and to inspire students of all ages to pursue careers in robotics and other science, technology, engineering and mathematics related fields. events are scheduled around the country for this purpose, for those who cannot attend in person, the national robotics week website provides other ways for parents and teachers to get involved. affecting numerous sectors of our economy, including national defense, robotics will continue to be an emerging market with substantial growth expected. as soon and as such, it's important for us to recognize the many aspects of the especially specialized field. -- aspects of the specialized field. national robotics week is yet another tool to help parents and to help teachers motivate and inspire children to learn about the exciting role robotics plays in our everyday

world. somewhere out there, the next isaac isanof is receiving recognition. perhaps at a national robotics week event. i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves. the chair recognizes the gentleman from washington. mr. baird: i thank the gentlelady. i would just mentioned as my dear friend from texas pointed out, anyone who has had an opportunity to visit these nationwide competitions and see the enthusiasm of these young people and their robot competes in everything from pushing balls around, etc., to try to school goals in robotics sock ar to mock combat, what you -- soccer to mock combat, what you see is people who put their minds to something. as mr. hall pointed out, will really inspire these people to careers in science, technology, engineering and math. we need more of these folks and this legislation helps champion that idea. again, i urge its passage. i don't think i have any other

speakers. i'll reserve the balance of my time. if the gentleman has any other speakers. mr. hall: madam speaker, i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. the gentleman from washington. mr. baird: i would also yield back the balance of my time and urge passage. . the speaker pro tempore: the question is will the house suspend the rules and agree to house resolution 1055. those in favor will vote aye. snowe. in the opinion of the chair, 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 upon the table. for what purpose does the gentleman from washington seek recognition? mr. baird: madam speaker, i move to suspend the rules and pass house resolution 1069 congratulating willard s. boyle and george e. smith for being awarded the nobel prize in

physics. the speaker pro tempore: the clerk will report the title of the resolution. the clerk: house resolution 1069, resolution congratulating willard s. boyle and george e. smith for being awarded the nobel prize in physics. the speaker pro tempore: pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from washington, mr. baird, and the gentleman from texas, mr. hall, each will control 20 minutes. the chair recognizes the gentleman from washington. mr. baird: madam 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.res. 1069, the resolution now under consideration. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. mr. baird: madam speaker, i yield myself such time as i may consume. i am very pleased today to be honoring the two nobel prize winning physicists on their remarkable achievement. willard s. boyle and george e. smith of bell labs were the recipients of the 2009 nobel prize in physics, along with dr. charles k. gao. they won their prize for an

invention of an ameaging conduction circuit. if this sounds familiar it may be because it is the device that makes digital cameras work. the digital cam ray is already used in consumer usage but people may not realize it has been instrumental in scientific endeavors as well. astronomy has been revolutionedized in telescopes to capture details in great details. it has also greatly aided our ability to look inwardly to the tiniest particles. bell labs is' are mound research organization whose name is synonymous with innovation. in addition to c.c.d.'s, work has led to the development of the transis tore, photo voletalic -- photovoltaic cells. seven nobel prizes for physics have been awarded for work done

at bell labs. it's too vitally important as we work to try to maintain america's competitiveness in the global economy that we celebrate the scientific achievement and encourage our young people to pursue careers in technical fields. we are equipped in this body to recognize sports accomplishments. it is only fitting that we also recognize intellectual accomplishments of this caliber, particularly when they have such a dramatic impact on all of our lives. if we want a society to do better in these areas of endeavor, it only makes sense for congress to recognize great intellectual achievement when it happens. and these gentlemen are certainly deserves of that recognition. so once again i want to thank my colleagues and reserve the balance of my time and urge passage. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves. the chair recognizes the gentleman from texas. mr. hall: madam speaker, i yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. hall: i rise today in support of house resolution 1069, which honors and

congratulation willard s. boyle and george e. smith for receiving the nobel prize in physics on december 10, 2009. for their invention of the imaging semiconductor circuit. the charge coupled or c.c.d. this accomplishment achieved by them while working at bell laboratories has greatly influenced the way human beings view the world. the invention of the charge coupled device allows for the direct capture of images electronically rather than on the basis of film. the c.c.d. has given the power of instantaneous imagery to people worldwide. this range capturing device is not only more efficient but also more accurate than conventional photography. it has allowed for the development of high resolution picture making and has helped create the ability to process and develop photographs in a real time setting. their design has gone on to be the core of every digital

camera. camcorder and telescope in existence today. in addition c.c.d. is used in various surgical cameras, as well as the cameras used by nasa. they have enabled millions of people worldwide to capture images sharply and effectively. it's with great appreciation we recognize these men today for their accomplishments and for their achievement in winning the 2009 nobel prize in physics. i encourage my colleagues to join me in support of this resolution. i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves. the chair recognizes the gentleman from washington. mr. baird: madam speaker, i have no further speakers on this legislation. reserve my time as well. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves. the gentleman from texas. mr. hall: madam speaker, i yield two minutes to the gentleman from new jersey, mr. lance. the speaker pro tempore: the chair recognizes the gentleman from new jersey for two minutes. mr. lance: thank you very much,

madam speaker. i thank the gentleman from texas and the gentleman from washington. i rise today to recognize willard s. boyle and george e. smith from bell laboratories in mary hill, new jersey, in my congressional district. doctors boyle and smith along with charles gao of stanford telecommunications laboratories and the chinese university of hong kong were awarded the nobel prize for physics for the invention of the charge coupled device and imaging semiconductor circuit. the work of doctors boil and smith represents a breakthrough in telecommunications that may bring about revolutionary changes in the near future. their significant achievements have helped advance the united states as the world leader in scientific research and development. it should come as no surprise that their work was completed at bell laboratories. founded in 1925 by the american

telephone and telegraph company, bell laboratories is an internationally renowned research organization. work at bell labs has led to the invention or advancement of such groundbreaking technology hads as the transis tore, photovoltaic cells, the laser, the unix operating system and c.c.d. sensor. in fact, seven nobel prizes for physics have been rewarded for research conducted at bell labs. i'm very proud to commend doctors boil and smith on winning the nobel prize in physics andp in sharing their scientific achievements with colleagues in congress, with garden state residents, and with the american people. i also thank my colleague, congressman rush holt, also from new jersey, for his efforts to recognize this remarkable achievement and recognizing bell labs. thank you, madam speaker. i yield back the balance of my time.

the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. the gentleman from washington. mr. baird: i want to again commend mr. friend, mr. rush holt, for his work on this. i urge passage and reserve the remainder of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves. the gentleman from texas. mr. hall: i congratulate mr. baird for his leadership and certainly have no further requests for time. i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. the gentleman from washington. mr. baird: with that i have no further speakers and yield back the balance of my time. again urge passage. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. the question is, will the house suspend the rules and agree to house resolution 1069. 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. baird: 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 seek recognition? mr. baird: madam speaker, morph to suspend the rules and pass house resolution 935, honoring knock knock, charles m. geschke, forrest m. bird, and esther sans takeuchi and i.b.m. corporation for receiving the 2008 national medal of technology and innovation. the speaker pro tempore: the clerk will report the title of the resolution. the clerk: house resolution 935, resolution honoring john e. warnock, charles m. geschke,

forrest m. bird, esther sans takeuchi, and i.b.m. corporation for receiving the 2008 national medal of technology and innovation. the speaker pro tempore: pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from washington, mr. baird, and the gentleman from texas, mr. hall, each will control 20 minutes. the chair recognizes the gentleman from washington. mr. baird: madam speaker, i ask unanimous consent that all members may have five legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on h.res. 935, the resolution now under consideration. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. mr. baird: madam speaker, i yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. baird: madam speaker, i rise in support of h.res. 935, honoring john e. warnock, charles m. geschke, forrest m. bird, esther sans takeuchi, and i.b.m. corporation for receiving the 2008 national medal of technology and innovation. the national medal of technology and innovation is the highest honor for

technological achievement given by the president to the country's leading innovators and the five recipients honored by this resolution have all made great contributions to technology and innovation in the united states. these honorees have made contributions in areas including desktop publishing, medical and battery technologies, and supercomputing. innovation and technological advancements in these areas and others are critical for many reasons, including furthering health care technology for our citizens, and increasing the united states' ability to remain economically competitive with other nations. i want to congratulate the five honorees and thank representative lofgren from california for her leadership in introducing this resolution. i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves. the chair recognizes the gentleman from texas. mr. hall: madam speaker, i yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. hall: h.res. 935 honors john e. warnock, charles m.

geschke, forrest m. bird, and esther sans takeuchi and i.b.m. for being awarded the 2008 national medal of technology and innovation. the national medal of technology and innovation is awarded annually to the nation's leading innovators. this award recognizes those who have made significant contributions to their country. additionally, it's intended to also inspire or use to pursue science technology engineering and mathematics related fields of study. together dr. warnock and and gesche founded a-r-r-r -- adobe systems being able to send documents from program to program through technology known as p.d.f. since their retirement as software executives both have distributed generously to

encourage young engineers. dr. forrest bird of idaho served as an aviator during world war ii. following the war he founded bird ink which developed am fibon air -- am fibon aircraft. using this same technology bird later developed medical respirators still in use around the world and contributed to lowering breath related infant mortality rates. dr. esther sans takeuchi of new york began her distinguished career as a scientist for great batch ink. in her years -- inc. in her years there she developed an oxide battery essential to producing implantable cardiac defibrillators. today more than 200,000 of those i.c.d.'s are implanted each year, most with batteries originally developed by takeuchi.

i.b.m.'s blue green gene server group represents a new-age of american innovation. these supercomputers have enabled business and science to visit new calculations previously unattainable. in addition, these computers have been recognized as the most efficient energy efficient as their type in the whole world today. october 7, 2009, president obama honored the 2008 recipients of the national medal of technology, innovation during a white house ceremony. i join the president in recognizes these distinguished americans and urge my colleagues to do so. i reserve the balance of my time. do you have other speakers? mr. baird: do i not have other speakers. mr. hall: i yield back. i have no requests for time. i yield back the balance of my time, madam speaker. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. the gentleman from washington. mr. baird: again, i want to commend the sponsor of this bill, ms. lofgren, and most importantly of all commend the recipients of this award and

thank them for their contribution to the betterment of our entire society, economy, and well-being of our public. with that 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 agree to house resolution 935. 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 -- the gentleman from washington. mr. baird: i object to the vote on the grounds that a quorum is not present on the ground -- and make a point of order a quorum is not present. the speaker pro tempore: pursuant to clause 8 of rule 20 and the chair's prior announcement, further proceedings on this motion will be postponed. . for what purpose does the gentleman from washington seek recognition? mr. baird: madam speaker, i move to suspend the rules and pass h.r. 3650, the harmful algal blooms and hypoxia

research and control amendments act of 2009. the speaker pro tempore: the clerk will report the title of the bill. the clerk: h.r. 3650, to establish a national harmful algal bloom and hypoxia program, to develop and coordinate a comprehensive and integrated strategy to address harmful algal blooms and hypoxia, and to provide for the development and implementation of comprehensive regional action plans to reduce harmful algal blooms and hypoxia. tylenol pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from washington, mr. baird, and the gentleman from texas, mr. hall, each will control 20 minutes. the chair recognizes the gentleman from washington. mr. baird: madam speaker, i ask unanimous consent that all members may have five legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on h.r. 3650, as amended, the bill now under consideration. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. mr. baird: madam speaker, i yield myself such time as i may consume. i rise in support of h.r. 3650,

the harmful algal blooms and high poxio research and control amendments act. this addresses a large and growing problem. the habs and hypoxia research was last amended in 2004. at the outset, i was to commend dr. ehlers for working on this throughout the years. i stand in support of these programs because this effects virtually every urban -- coastal waterway in america as well as freshwater eco systems. let me share with you an example of -- ecosystems. let me share with you an example of how harmful this is. at a recent lake in my district a person was playing with their dog in the water. they threw their favorite tennis ball in the water, the dog jumped in the water, retrieved the tennis ball, swam back on the shore and died. this is ride tides, in freshwater it is blue green algae. they are deadly in both environments. the costs may be $82 million a

year annual economic impact of habs. this means billions of dollars over decades. i mentioned already the tragic loss of this animal. on a human scale, red tides pose a serious neuro toxin that effects your ability to remember things over the long run. so we have a serious problem. it is close in the case of harmful algal blooms. the bill also addresses so-called dead zones or hypoxia. there are areas of lack of oxygen. these are expanding. perhaps the most well-known is in the gulf of mexico, areas literally thousands of square miles wide that if virtually any marine organism swims into they die very shortly thereafter because they have not sufficient oxygen to survive. this has impacted not only the gulf of mexico, my own coast and elsewhere in the country. now, within the freshwater system i want to underscore an

important point. from the great lakes to small creeks of west virginia and throughout the country, this is a problem. my friend and colleague, mr. mull has from west virginia, has been particularly interested in this. we must understand that these harmful algal blooms is toxic for the following reason. most of the mechanisms that we currently use to purify water do not work with harmful algal blooms. if you boil water to kill past jens, that normally -- pathogens that normally kills them. if you kill water that has algal blooms it increases the tocks inks and lethality. if you get -- toxins and lethality. all you do is break up the bodies of the algae but the toxin survives. chlination does not stop it. so we have a pro-that's deadly

from organisms ranging -- so we have a problem that's deadly from organisms ranging from fish to other things. i want to also mention in my own district which has a coastal area that is very economically benefited by the clamming season, all you need is one red tide to come in, shut down the clamming season and you literally lose millions of dollars of business. and for many of our hotel owners and restaurant owners and others, that's the season. you lose that because of a harmful algal bloom, you basically lost your economy for the entire year. so this bill would expapped our ability to study and -- expand our ability and study and control these harmful algal blooms and toxic events. i re-at this point. -- i reserve the balance of my time at this point. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves. the chair recognizes the gentleman from texas. mr. hall: i yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. hall: harmful algal blooms are those blooms that produce

toxins that are hazardous to plants and animals. the most recognized harmful algal bloom is red tide. since it discolors the water and makes seafood inhe hadible. such an event -- inedible. such an event causes beach closures and restrictions on seafood. this bill fosters continued research into the causes of red tide, explores ways to manage the blooms and sets up mechanisms to potentially predict when they may occur. these are all areas of research that are beneficial to our economy and to human health. and i commend the vice ranking member of our committee, dr. vern ehlers, for his commitment to address this important issue through his co-sponsorship of this legislation. while i'm supportive of the goals of this measure, i do need to convey some concerns that i and several of my republican colleagues had in committee.

the bill addresses a problem that effects nearly every state,. however, we want to make sure that the regional research and action plans that are called for not a topdown mandate but a true collaboration between the federal government and the states and local areas directly affected by these blooms. we want to make sure we are not imposing undue burdens on states that they would not voluntarily take on themselves. although the onous is on the federal government, the activities identified in these plans are ones that would likely be executed by state, local and tribal governments. as read in the bill does not contain any safeguards against unfunded mandates. during the markup, we offered amendments that would address these concerns. the first amendment would have prevented any increased financial burden to state, tribal governments as a result of anything in the bill or the law it demands.

desmyth receiving bipartisan support -- despite receiving bipartisan support, the amendment was not accepted. a second amendment would require the implementation of the plans initiated only at the request of the states, not the federal government. unfortunately, this amendment also failed. state, tribal and local governments are already shouldering the burden of the ethics and the effects of harmful algal blooms since these have been a direct impact on local and regional economies. further, in the local economic climate, these are struggling to prioritize the most basic of services. the assurance of the added protection against unfunded mandates at this time should be something all members favor. this legislation's gone through a number of changes since it passed out of committee. some changes were made by the majority after the bill passed out of committee, and i hope that in the future we can make necessary changes while bills are still in committee so that all members can weigh in before bills go to the floor.

finally, i have concerns about the authorization loflse in the bill. -- levels in the bill. given this area of fiscal constraint, we must be weary of how we spend dollars. this spends three times the amount it has been appropriated in recent years. the authorization levels are 50% higher than the last authorization in 2004. the federal government did not spend more than $15 million per year when the authorization level is at $26 million per year, so it's hard for me to support raising the level to $41 million per year in 2011. harmful algal blooms and hypoxia are growing threats to our economy and to our economic prosperity and impact coastal gulf, gulf and inland states. while i support the overarching goals of research and the development of technologies, add procedures to lessen their

harmful consequences, i remain concern that this bill is too expensive and does not protect against unfunded mandates. i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves. the gentleman from washington. mr. baird: madam speaker, may i inquire about the remain time on both sides? -- about the remaining time on both sides? the speaker pro tempore: 16 on both sides. mr. baird: thank you. as so often the case, h.r. 3650 was a collaborative effort, not with my minority colleagues on the science and technology committee, but also the natural resources committee and the transportation and infrastructure committee as well. i'd like to insert a letter of exchanges of the committees within the record. i ask unanimous consent to do so. i'd like to thank chairman rahall and oberstar for their evers on thregs. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. mr. baird: i'd like to recognize mr. kratovil for three minutes. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. kratovil: i thank the gentleman for washington for yielding. madam speaker, i rise in support of h.r. 3650 and urge

my colleagues to support it. maryland's first district, my district, is a district defined by the water that surrounds it. healthy water in our district means commerce, recreation and most importantly jobs. harmful algal bloom is a rapid overproduction of certain species of algae that produce toxins which are detrimental to plants and animals. these outbreaks are commonly referred to as red or brown tides and have the potential to kill fish and our aquatic life by decreasing sunlight available to the water and using up available oxygen in the water. in recent years, many of the nation's coast lines, near shore marine waters and freshwaters have experienced an increase in the number, frequency, duration and types of h.h.b.'s. if we continue to allow this problem to persist, bodies of water like the chesapeake bay in my district will see a detrimental decline in water species. the thousands of men and women

who rely on the bay to pay their bills will be put out of work. watermen, commercial fishermen, charter boat cap tapes and other similar industries have been part of the culture for decades. if gone unchecked, these professions will become less and less prominent and a segment of our economy will be hurt. h.r. 3650 is a good bill that takes important steps in the fight against red tides and other harmful algae by created a coordinated national strategy to deal with h.a.b.'s while at the same time allowing for flexibility so that different regions can best address their concerns. i'm pleased that funding will be directed to control and prevention of this problem in addition to simply research. this will no doubt limit the severity and frequency of this dangerous environmental concern. madam speaker, i once again urge my colleagues to support it, and i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. the gentleman from texas.

mr. hall: i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves. the gentleman from washington. mr. baird: i thank the gentleman from maryland. he's been a tireless champion of this. the watermen in his district and the others who depend on this great natural resource i owe them a certain debt of gratitude. i also recognize and yield time to the gentlelady, ms. castor, who has been a tireless champion of clean water and this issue. thank you. i yield her as much time as she may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady from florida is recognized. ms. castor: madam speaker, i'd like to thank mr. baird from washington for his leadership. he's been a real champion on behalf of clean water and clean beaches. i'd like to express my gratitude to the science and technology committee for their terrific work on what i call the red tide bill. and this is a jobs bill because let me tell you, coming from the great state of florida, the

sunshine state where we depend on folks from all across the country coming to vacation, swim, to fish, there's nothing like a vacation in the warm waters of the gulf of mexico. and i see my friend and colleague here who represents the florida keys, there's nothing like a vacation there where you can spend time unwinding on our beautiful beaches. but there is a real threat to our tourism, economy and jobs in the state of florida and that is these very harmful algae blooms that causes red tide. they are in a state that employs over a million floridians and where tourism has a $65 billion impact on our state's economy, when the red tide rolls in, it's a serious threat because what the red tide does is it causes you difficulty breathing, it burns your eyes, dead fish will roll

up on the beaches. it's really bad news. and the problem is we don't know what causes it. and we -- that's why this bill is so important and it's tied to jobs because if we can do a little bit of research and determine what the causes are, we will be able to protect our tourism economy, make sure we have clean and healthy beaches for folks who need that vacation. by some estimates red tide outbreaks cost coastal communities $82 million a year. we've got to find out what is happening here. i also want to recognize my colleague and good friend, congressman connie mack, who represents some of the most beautiful beaches in the country down in naples and santa bell island. three years or two years ago we were able to authorize $90 million for a three-year period for science research on red tide. but today's legislation builds on that bipartisan effort and representative baird's bill, which i co-sponsored, creates

the new initiative on red tide and will dedicate some money, over five years to finding a solution that will give our federal and state agencies a real leg up. like i said, red tide is a significant threat to jobs, our tourism economy, our health and our environment. so, i'm pleased to urge that we all join together to protect our coastal resources and the tourism-related -- tourism-related jobs by learning more about the harmful algal blooms and adopt h.r. 3650 and i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady yields back the balance of her time. the gentleman from texas. >> unless the gentleman from washington needs my time, i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. the gentleman from washington. >> i thank my friend. i won't -- i do not need the time but the very gracious of you to offer it. i want to commend ms. castor for her comments and join her in her acknowledgment of the incredible leadership of connie mack from

florida. you know when we talk about the cost of this legislation, consider the cost to florida's economy, to the gulf's economy, if a red tide comes in at the height of the tourist season. you can't swim in it this, it's toxic, you can't fish it. the fishing industry out on the coast when the zone comes in, it kills hundreds of thousands of fish overnight. shorebirds are affected and on and on the list goes. so as ms. castor pointed out and as mr. mack has pointed now the our discussions, making sure that we understand what causes this and finding ways to remediate it and prevent it is not only in the interest of human health, it's in the interest of our economy as well. i am particularly pleased also that the area which is near and dear to my heart and home has received recognition. we have got a serious problem off the coast in terms of red tide, but within the region, particularly hood canal, there is a growing annual development of a dead zone.

and these things seem to be developing earlier, lasting longer and growing in size. this bill will help us understand why. the bill has support from a broad group of stakeholders including ocean champions, the pure water coalition and i again am pleased that it has been a bipartisan effort, dr. ehlers, as i mentioned earlier, has been instrumental for many years on this and of course connie mack has been as well and i thank the gentlemen for their input. mr. hall has offered some suggestions and of course as we move that forward and work with the senate we'll try to make sure we incorporate as many of those as we can. finally i'd like to recognize the staff who worked so diligently on this bill. ongoing research and development implementation of an action strategy are key components to addressing this environmental challenge and h.r. 3650 helps move us forward in each of these areas. i urge my colleagues to support h.r. 3650 and again reserve the

balance of my time. although i guess mr. hall has already yielded. one last thing i'll say. understanding the impact of harmful algal blooms in fresh water is absolutely critical. if a major metropolitan area develops a toxic algal bloom, as i mentioned earlier, it will be extraordinarily difficult to remove the toxins from the waterway. it has happened in some smaller communities. it is extremely costly and can present a huge health crisis. we need to understand how to prevent this and we need to understand how to treat it. this legislation will help us do that both in the saltwater and freshwater environment. i urge its pass ac. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. the question is will the house suspend the rules and pass h.r. 3650 as amended. those in favor say aye. those opposed, no. in the opinion of the chair, 2/3 of those voting having responded in the affirmative, the rules are suspended -- mr. baird: madam chair, on that i ask the yeas and nays, please.

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.

the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from virginia seek recognition? >> madam speaker, i move to suspend the rules and agree to resolution h.res. 1144. the speaker pro tempore: the clerk will report the title of the resolution. the clerk: house resolution 1144, resolution expressing condolences to the families of the victims of the february 27, 2010, earthquake in chile as well as solidarity with and support for the people of chile as they plan for recovery and reconstruction. the speaker pro tempore: pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from virginia, mr. connelly, and the gentlewoman from florida, ms. ros-lehtinen, each will control 20 minutes. the chair recognizes the

gentleman from virginia. mr. connelly: madam speaker, i ask unanimous consent that all members may have five legislative days to revise and extends their remarks and include extraneous material on the resolution under consideration. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. mr. connelly: madam speaker, i rise in strong support of this resolution and yield myself as much time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. connelly: this resolution introduced by my good friend and colleague from texas marks the tragedy of a second earthquake in as many months to affect a country in the western hemisphere, this time a close friend and ally, chile. november 27 an 8.8 magnitude tremor struck 70 miles away from chile's second largest city and has left a terrible toll in its wake. the chilean people have a long history of resolve in the face of past earthquakes. last month's quake was one of the largest ever recorded and the worst to hit the country since a 1960 earthquake, the strongest ever measured. the tsunami and after shocks from this quake, one of which

measured 6.3 this past friday, led to the declaration of a state of catastrophe. the chilean people are now faced with an unprecedented challenge to recover and rebuild and they deserve our support. official casualty estimates number in the hundreds while another two million people, including as many as 1.5 million displaced persons, were directly affected by the trembler and the crashing 19-foot waves that soon followed. in addition to the human toll, the cost of physical damage ranged from $15 billion to $30 billion including the destruction of a -- destruction of entire coastal villages and other infrastructure. the international community rallied behind chile with financial contributions, donations and telecommunications equipment and offers of help in the immediate aftermath of this 122nd quake which was 500 times more powerful than the 7.0 magnitude trem that are hit haiti just over six weeks prior

in this context it's important to highlight chile'son rossity in dispatching its own teams to haiti just weeks before. it's also worth noting that chile's embrace of good governance and its ability to create, implement and enforce strict building codes put a -- played a major role in mitigating the affects of this event which have could have had so much more by the way of loss of life. in spite of this epic natural disaster, the chilean people remain committed to the principles of unity and rebuild their lives and restoring their country. this resolution makes it clear that as they go about this critical task, the united states stands with them. madam speaker, i urge my colleagues to support this important resolution and reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves. the chair recognizes the gentlewoman from florida. ms. ros-lehtinen: thank you, madam speaker. i yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the jo is recognized. -- the gentlewoman is recognized.

ms. ros-lehtinen: thank you. i rise today as a proud original co-sponsor of the bill before us, house resolution 1144, and join my colleagues in expressing our heartfelt sympathy to all of those impacted by the devastating earthquake in chile two weeks ago. the strength and the magnitude of this quake and its resulting tsunami cause hundreds of lives to be lost and left cntlessivore as the government of chile continues to carry out its immediate relief and recovery efforts, the complete -- to complete its damage assessment, we are just beginning to get a sense of how much this destruction has brought about. nearly 1.5 million homes are reported to have been damaged and many historic structures collapsed. an estimated two million people in chile were displaced by the quake and the subsequent tsunamis that swept the -- away entire coastal towns.

however, the democratic stability and the strong government structures in place prior to the earthquake will undoubtedly enable chile to respond responsibly to this disaster. in particular its commitment to free market principles, this will allow private sector actors to immediately respond to certain damage sectors such as water and sanitation. this will help to minimize the tremendous challenges facing the government of chile in the aftermath of the crisis. it will allow domestic and international assistance to go only where it is absolutely needed. the u.s. southern command, south com, based in my home -- southcom, based in my home district of miami, florida, has played a vital role in providing necessary assistance to the people of chile. while we are carrying out important relief efforts in haiti, here the u.s. military has helped to revive important

satellite communications equipment to the operations, the emergency operation in response officials in chile. what an incredible statement that is for our wonderful men and women serving our nation's armed forces. our military is also in the process of employeing an emergency medical -- employing an emergency medical support team, ememds, and we thank them for their prompt action. so i join my colleagues in expressing our condolences to those impacted by this terrible disaster. the united states will continue to stand side by side with the people of chile as they begin to recover. i thank the gentlelady, thank you, madam speaker, and i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman reserves. the gentleman from virginia.

mr. connelly: thank you, madam speaker. and i thank my good friend and colleague from florida, the ranking member of the foreign affairs committee, the gentlelady ros-lehtinen. i now yield four minutes to the chairman of the higher education subcommittee, my friend from texas, the gentleman, mr. hinojosa. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from texas is recognized for four minutes. mr. hinojosa: i thank representative connelly for yielding time. madam speaker, i rise today in support of house resolution 1144 , the resolution expresses the house of representative's condolences for the families of the victims of the powerful earthquake in chile. as well as solidarity with and support for the people of chile. let me first thank chairman berman, subcommittee chairman engel and my friend and colleague, ranking member ros-lehtinen, for helping bring

this resolution to the floor. i would also like to thank my colleagues in the congressional hispanic caucus who are unanimously in support of h.r. 1144. chile and the united states have a longstanding and important partnership. it is one of mutual respect and understanding. both countries understand their democratic and economic prosperity are aligned and that we need to work together for our mutual benefit. the congressional hispanic caucus has worked to build on this relationship by recognizing the rich cultural heritage both nations share. as chairman of the c.h.c.'s task force on commerce and international relations i am committed to working with my colleagues to strengthen our relations with our neighbors in the western hemisphere.

the devastating disaster that has struck chile is a humanitarian imperative requiring immediate action. millions of families have lost their homes or been displaced by this gigantic earthquake and the following tsunami and strong aftershocks. hundreds have died in many -- and many are still missing. hundreds of thousands of families in chile remain without running water or power. the united states has been quick to the president's call for help and to re-establish communication and has deployed two c-130 cargo planes to help transport humanitarian cargo. the united states stands ready to provide whatever additional aid is necessary to help the victims of this natural disaster. we have seen the generosity of

the american people during the recent disaster in haiti, and i am confident that spirit of generosity will also be extended to the people of chile. in closing, i want to say that the resolution recounts the tragic events that have unfolded in chile, so i will not read it again. the resolution reaffirms the u.s. house of representatives' commitment to the people of chile and to aid in their speedy recovery. we applaud the resolve and resilience of those affected by the earthquake. the people of chile on other occasions have come together to help their friends and neighbors rebuild. today we want to assure them that we will stand by their side to help as they recover from this tragedy. i urge all my colleagues to support this important resolution and yield back the balance of my time.

the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. the gentlewoman from florida. ms. ros-lehtinen: madam speaker, we have no further requests for time, and we yield back the balance of our time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman yields back. the gentleman from virginia. mr. connolly: thank you, madam speaker. i want to that pl hinojosa for his work on this resolution. i have no further requests for time 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 agree to house resolution 1144. those in favor say aye. those opposed, no. in the opinion of the chair -- mr. connolly: madam speaker. the speaker pro tempore: 2/3 being in the affirmative. the gentleman from virginia. mr. connolly: 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 proceedings on this motion will be postponed.

the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from virginia seek recognition? mr. connolly: mr. speaker, i move to suspend the rules and agree to the resolution, 1032 as amended. the speaker pro tempore: the clerk will report the title of the resolution. the clerk: house resolution 1032, resolution expressing the sense of the house of representatives that the united states should continue to assist the mexican government in fighting the drug cartels and curbing violence against mexican and united states citizens, both in the united states and abroad. the speaker pro tempore: pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from virginia, mr.

connolly, and the gentlewoman from florida, ms. ros-lehtinen, each will control 20 minutes. the chair recognizes the gentleman from virginia. mr. connolly: 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 the resolution under consideration. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, so ordered. mr. connolly: mr. speaker, i rise in strong support of this resolution and yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. connolly: i thank the speaker. on december 31, mr. augustine roberto bobby salcedo, a high school vice principal and school board leader was brutally murdered while on a family vacation while in durango state, mexico. while enjoying the company of family and friends in the city of gomez palacio, mr. salcedo and other patrons were taken hostage by a group of masked individuals. they were killed execution

style, their bodies discovered in a field a few hours later. this incident is a tragic example of the drug-related violence that's plaguing mexico today. estimates suggest that more than 16,000 people, 16,000 have died in drug had been related violence since president felipe calderon declared a war on drug trafficking in january of 2007, including almost 8,000 deaths in 2009 alone, over 1,000 so far this year. many those are associated with the drug trade, but there has been an alarming increase in the number of innocent bystanders who've become victims of the violence, including mr. salcedo. last year more than 500 women and children, women and children killed by these cart tells. the department of justice has identified the mexican cartels as, quote, the greatest drug trafficking threat to the united states, unquote. indeed, these drug cart tells

are major pro depusers and suppliers of -- producers and suppliers of cocaine and methamphetamine for 90% of the cocaine sold in the united states. in light of horrific events, like mr. salcedo's senseless murder, which the f.b.i. continues to investigate alongside mexican authorities, we must continue to seek justice for all american citizens and other innocence harmed by drug-related violence. mr. salcedo was a respected member of his el monte community, and an inspiration to so many of his students. his friends and family deserves to see his murderers brought to justice. the united states must continue to work with mexico to break the powerful drug cart tells, reduce arms trafficking from the united states to mexico and diminish the demand for drugs throughout north america. it's important that we express our solidarity with the mexican people and government who are

on the front lines of the fight against the cartels and we work together closely to address the drug-related violence that's had such a devastating effect on our community. mr. speaker, i urge members to support this resolution and i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves. the gentlewoman from florida is recognized. ms. ros-lehtinen: thank you, mr. speaker. i'd like to yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: so ordered. ms. ros-lehtinen: i thank you. tanned i rise today to join my colleague in supporting the ongoing cooperation between the united states and mexico to fight the drug cartels and curb the drug-related violence which is increasingly impacting our citizens on both sides of the border. there is no doubt that through the merida initiative, significant gains have been made against narcotraffickers and organized crime in mexico over the past couple of years. however, as is to be expected, the harder we fight to get them off the streets the harder they

fight to stay there. more than 7,000 people were killed at the hands of drug-related violence in mexico last year alone. one of those victims is recognized in this resolution, mr. augustine roberto "bobby" salcedo, a u.s. citizen and resident of california. mr. salcedo was in mexico visiting his family -- with family on new year's eve, when, as the resolution states, he was abducted and murdered by a group of masked armed men. his family has yet to learn why. unfortunately, mr. salcedo's story is one that many of us are becoming all too familiar with. over 14 months ago, mr. felix batistaa, a constituent of my congressional district, disappeared in mexico. he has not been heard of or seen sense. i have worked closely with many

of my colleagues in the florida delegation, both in the house and the senate, especially our florida senator, bill nelson, to try to help his family over the last year. and while it is my understanding that the f.b.i. and mexican authorities were investigating his case, his family has yet to gain a better understanding of exactly what happened to mr. batista on december 10, 2008. the tragic disappearance of mr. felix batista and so many other who have been victims of violence in mexico demonstrates that the security challenges facing our neighbor in the south also poses a threat to the safety of our nation and our citizens. it is critical that we continue to work with mexico and of the democratic partners in the region to present a united front against narcotraffickers

in our hemisphere. we especially must not forget our partners in colombia. and while there is no doubt that tremendous advancements have been made, the premature reduction of assistance to colombia would undoubtedly put these great fwains at risk. much hard work remains to be done in colombia and throughout the region. together we can -- gains at risk. much hard work remains to be done in colombia and throughout the region. with that, mr. speaker, i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman reserves the balance of her time. the gentleman from virginia is recognized. mr. connolly: thank you, mr. speaker. i yield six minutes to my friend, the gentlelady from california, ms. chu. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman from california is recognized for six minutes. ms. chu: mr. speaker, i rise today in support of house resolution 1032, a resolution to honor augustine bobby sal

seda, an exemplary american citizen, who was murdered in mexico, and ask the u.s. to help mexico fight the drug cartels. this past december, bobby salcedo traveled to gomez palacio in the state of durango to visit his wife's family. gunmen burst in and dragged bobby, along with five other men, out of a restaurant at gun point. they were then each shot to death execution style. the next day all six bodies were found dumped in a ditch. bobby was only 33 years old. i met bobby early in his career. having grown up in my district in el monte, california, he was dedicated to improving the lives of children in his district. he was an elected school board member in the el monte district.

he was studying for his doctorate in education at ucla. it was clear to everyone that knew him he was going somewhere, he was a rising star. after the investigation began, it was confirmed that none of the six murder victims were connected to the drug trade in any way. bobby and the others were in the wrong place at the wrong time. their deaths exemplified the growing number of innocent bystanders who are becoming victimized by cartel violence in mexico. had it seemed as though the situation could not get worse. however, only weeks after bobby was murdered, the lead state investigator in his case was also shot dead by the drug cartels. bobby's murder brings to the forefront two critical issues. the urgency in finding the killers of bobby salcedo, and the importance of reducing the violence of the drug cartels in mexico. there must be justice in the murder for bobby salcedo, but the challenges are great.

the state of durango is one of the most violent in mexico. in 2009, there were 637 cartel-style murders in durango and not one of the cases has been solved by the police. state authorities are limited in their resources, and the cartels have successfully corrupted or scared away many officials from interfering in their business. that is why i have asked the mexican government to mix every effort to bring the -- make every effort to bring the full force of the federal government down on the salcedo murder. their strong stance against organized crime offers hope in this case. the federal government has greater resources at their disposal, such as forensic equipment, manpower and training. although the federal government has yet to federalize bobby's case, i am hopeful that they will realize this case is a symbol for both of our countries and can demonstrate to all that progress can be made. we cannot allow the death of

innocent bystand until there is sure accountability for the violence, there is little incentive for the drug lords to keep peace. but the u.s. must be resolute in supporting mexico's efforts to combat the drug trade and its violent consequences. there has been progress. president felipe calderon note the combating of drug violence is his focal point. he greatly increased iferts on the federal level to -- efforts on the federal level to reduce the supply lines. and in 2007, the united states and mexico worked together to pass the merida initiative. this agreement took mexican and american cooperation to a whole new level, providing over $1.3 billion to support the mexican government in its fight. the funds went to helicopters, surveillance aircraft, interdiction equipment,

nonintrusive inspection equipment and data collection capabilities as well as provide for training programs and institution building in mexico. but now we are at a critical point. the merida initiative will expire at the end of this year. the war has not been won and the violence grows more disturbing each day. that is why congress and the administration must decide now how to implement the next phase of this partnership. in my conversations with law enforcement and state departments, three elements are critical in a new initiative. fighting the massive money laundering of funds out of the u.s., improving the forensic tech nothing available to mexican law -- tech none available to mexican law enforcement and helping mexico rebuild its institution. in money laundering, every year $8 billion to $10 billion are smuggled out of the u.s. by the drug cartels. even as our law enforcement agencies are improving their

ability to stop these funds from leaving the country, the cartelers are finding novel ways to launder money. they are using money service businesses, online services and even legitimate retail businesses as fronts for their illegal transactions and they are also using massive bulk cash transfers. stopping the money laundering gets at the heart of the drug cartel operation. on technology, mexican state and local law enforcement agencies are sorely lacking in the appropriate technology to combat these well-armed cartels. we must focus more of our efforts on the local institutions to provide them with 21st century law enforcement technology. and on the judiciary, until we have a partner with a strong judiciary and objective law enforcement, the cartels will continue to run free. by providing resources to train law enforcement and rooting out corruption amongst them, drug king pins will be forced to face

the consequence of their actions. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman reserves the balance of her time. mr. connelly: i yield an additional 30 seconds for my colleague to sum up. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman is recognized for 30 seconds. ms. chu: now is the time to pass this resolution. bobby salcedo's death is a brutal reminder that this violence is a growing threat not just to mexicans but also to americans. bringing his killers to justice will vindicate his death, ending the violence in mexico will save the lives of thousands of innocent victims in this gruesome war. for these reasons i urge you to vote in favor of this resolution. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman yields back the balance of her time. the gentlewoman from florida is recognized. ms. ros-lehtinen: mr. speaker, we have no further requests for time and we yield back the balance of our time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman yields back the balance of her time. the gentleman from virginia. mr. connelly: mr. speaker, i want to congratulate our colleague from california, ms. chu. i was in mexico just about a

year ago and clearly the unfolding lie lens is something that ought to be of -- violence is something that ought to be of great concern to every american. it's just to the south of our border and it's something that's very alarming in its scope and its unparalleled violence and i thank our colleague from california for bringing this once again to the attention of the united states congress. with that i have no further requests for time and i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from virginia yields back the balance of his time and the question is will the house suspend the rules and agree to house resolution 1032 as amended. those in favor say aye. those opposed, no. in the opinion of the chair, 2/3 of those voting having responded in the affirmative, the rules are suspended, the resolution is agreed to and without objection the motion to reconsider is laid on the table. without objection the title is

amended. for what purpose does the gentleman from virginia seek recognition? mr. connelly: mr. speaker, i move to suspend the rules and agree to the resolution, h.res. 1088, as amended. the speaker pro tempore: the clerk will report the title of the resolution. the clerk: house resolution 10 8, resolution recognizing the plight of people with albinism in east africa and condemning their murder and mutilation. the speaker pro tempore: pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from virginia, mr. connelly, and the gentlewoman from florida, ms. ros-lehtinen, each will control 20 minutes. the chair recognizes the gentleman from virginia. mr. connelly: i thank the speaker and i ask unanimous consent, all members may have five legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on the resolution you understand consideration. the speaker pro tempore: without objection.

mr. connelly: madam speaker, i rise in strong support of this resolution and yield myself as much time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. connelly: house resolution 1088 shines a light on the untold horrors men and women with albinism have faced and continue to face in east africa where human beings with albinism are butchered and their body parts sold for profit. these acts of brutal murder are best told through the story of a brave tanzanian mother, one of the few survivors of these attacks. i had the honor of meeting this survivor of one of these attacks, a young woman from tanzania who epitomizes the essence of bravery. these horrific acts, like the crime committed against this woman, are perpetrated by the people who believe that the body parts of people are albinism have magical powers and mixed in potions can bring the buyers

good luck. they harvest them because a single limb can sell for as much as $2,000. a king's ransom there. the woman who has albinism is one of the few survivors of these attacks. her story of is one of fear, horror and unbelievable courage. she told me her story through an interrupt -- interpreter the last day of the first session of this congress in september. one night in october of 2008 when she was asleep with her toddler son, a group of machete-yielding men from her own village broke -- broke into her home and attacked her. they cut off both of her arms while she struggled, screamed and shielded her 2-year-old from the blows. it was six long hours after the attack before she, who was five months pregnant, was able to receive any medical treatment. in the end, she lost her unborn baby. but she survived and she is now relaying her story in the hopes

that these brutal crimes against people with albinism will come to an end. she came to the united states for a visit thanks to the generosity of many, including some of my constituents from northern virginia, with albinism and some who have apparents with -- parents with albinism. while she was here for nearly two weekses in deast, she was fitted with prosthetic arms donate. and she underwent intensive physical therapy. she's a rare survivor of a horrific and inhumane crime that is a growing concern in east africa. more than 54 people with albinism have been butchered in the region, most of them women and children. in november of 2008 a 6-year-old girl was shot dead in an eastern province close to the border with tanzania. her attackers removed her head and limbs, leaving only her dismembered torso.

in january of 2009 three men armed with machetes killed an 8-year-old boy and smuggled his limbs into tanzania. every one of these stories borders on the unbelievable and quite frankly must turn every stomach who hear of those. not only do people with albinism face violence in parts of the world, but they are also at higher risk for medical complications such as skin cancer, poor vision, due to the lower levels of their skin. in east africa's hash, son, this is a -- harsh son, this is a lethal combination. but they must be outside to work, go to school and attend everyday business. unfortunately the medical issues of people with albinism face are the least of their worries. the threat of brutal violence looms over them at all times. the tanzanian prime minister has condemned correctly this violent

crime against people with albinism but judicial and enforcement barriers remain. my meeting with local families concerned about her flight and albinism in general has move med to take action. i'm contacting president obama in the state department to urge them to place diplomatic pressure on tanzania's governments to end these crimes now. these crimes against humanity. and to provide education to dispel the myth that body parts of those with albinism have any special properties. i also believe we must look at providing humanitarian and medical assistance to people with albinism in east africa, with a toe fuss in tanzania where most of these -- focus in tanzania where most of these crimes have occurred. i introduced a resolution condemning these murders and mutilations and advocating remedies to bring an end to this heinous and misguided behavior. it specifically it urges government in east can -- in east africa to take immediate action to prevent any further

violence against persons with albinism and to bring this swift justice, those who event gauged in such reprehensible practice. it calls upon those governments along with international organizations and other donors, including us, the united states, to actively support the education of people with albinism about the prevention of skin cancer and provide appropriate levels of assistance toward that end. finally it urges the united states to work with the governments of east africa and international organizations and other donors to eliminate violence against people with albinism. i urge my colleagues to join me in bringing international attention to this horrific abuse of human beings and to bring those who were perpetrated that violence to justice by voting yes on this measure. i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves. the gentlewoman from florida. ms. ros-lehtinen: thank you, madam speaker. i yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman is recognized. ms. ros-lehtinen: thank you. and i rise today in support of house resolution 1088.

in 2008 an undercover reporter from bbc's swa i hadly service wrote the horrific story of the acolt-based killings of albinos in parts of africa. since that time it has been revealed that albinos have been killed and mutilated by so-called hunters who sell their victims' body parts to unscrupulous traditional healers. the hunters are driven by the absurd believe that -- belief that albinos have mythical powers and their body parts can be used to bring wealth and good luck. the market itself is driven by greed. it has been reported that a complete set of body parts can fetch up to $75,000 on the black market. to be clear, the hunting and mutilation of albinos in east africa is by no means a common practice. the number of attacks is

relatively few in terms of the broader population. the hunting and mutilation of people simply because they look different is profoundly disturbing and requires us to condemn it. this resolution calls upon the governments in east africa, particularly in about a ruinedy and tanzania, to take effective action to end these senseless attacks which institute gross human rights violations. it also calls upon those governments with support from international organizations and other donors to take effective action to educate the general population with a view toward eliminating discrimination and abuse. i thank the gentleman from virginia, mr. connelly, for introducing this measure and i encourage my colleagues to support that. with that, madam speaker, i have no further requests for time and i yield back the balance of our time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman yields back the

balance of her time. the gentleman from virginia. mr. connelly: i thank the speaker and i want to thank my friend and colleague from florida for her cooperation and support and leadership on this issue. i have to say just on a personal note, there are many issues i thought i faced when i came here to the united states house of representatives. this is not one of them. it's an incredible tale but it is something we can do something about by bringing pressure to bear on the governments in east africa and i thank my friend from florida in helping to make that happen today. with that, madam speaker, i have no further requests for time 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 agree to house resolution 1088 as amended. those in favor say aye. those opposed, no. in the opinion of the chair, 2/3 of those voting having responded in the affirmative -- mr. connelly: madam speaker. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from virginia. mr. connelly: madam speaker, on this matter qui a recorded vote. -- matter i request a recorded vote. the speaker pro tempore: does

the gentleman ask for the yeas and nays? mr. connelly: i ask for the yeas and nays. the speaker pro tempore: the yeas and nays are requested. all those in favor of taking this vote by the yeas and nays will rise and remain standing until counted. a sufficient number having arisen, the yeas and nays are ordered. pursuant to clause 8 of rule 20 and the chair's prior announcement, further proceedings on this motion will be postponed. for what purpose does the gentleman from virginia seek recognition? mr. connelly: i move to suspend the rules and agree to the resolution, h.res. 1107. the speaker pro tempore: the clerk will report the title of the resolution. the clerk: house resolution 1107, resolution recognizing the 189th anniversary of the independence of greece and celebrating greek and american democracy. the speaker pro tempore: pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from virginia, mr. collinly, and the gentlewoman from florida, ms. ros-lehtinen,

each will control 20 minutes. the chair recognizes the gentleman from virginia. mr. connelly: madam speaker, i ask unanimous consent that all members may have five legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on the resolution under consideration. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. mr. connelly: madam speaker, i rise in strong support -- madam speaker, i rise in strong support of h.res. 1107 and yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. connolly: i'd like to thank the ranking member, ileana ros-lehtinen, for introducing this resolution, marking the 100th anniversary of greek independence. the administration has accepted greece as a participant in the visa waiver program. as the birthplace of democracy, greece stands alone in the simplest and modern government. the founders fashioned their society based on the political experience and philosophies in the ancient greeks.

we are surrounded by some of the greatest thinkers in world history, many of them greek. we are standing in a build inspired by greek architectual design and we are under greek ideals of governance. world culture is hardly limited to politics. the sculpture to the ethical sensibility, to the mathematical insites, we are indeed indebted to the great nation for its scientific, philosophical and artistic contributions to civilizations. the greek american bond inspired by the ainchents remain vibrant throughout. throughout the modern era, greece has been among america's allies, supporting us in conflicts. they safeguard democracy and freedom throughout -- through a partnership in nato and through bilateral defense cooperation. situated at the crossroads of three continents, athens has

resulted, for example, in meaningful repertoire with neighboring turkey. in that regard, we especially want to welcome to washington, prime minister george papandreou, who is visiting us this very week. as foreign minister of the 1990's, mr. papandreou was the architecture. the threat of war, a near constant for many decades, has now diminished. in a remarkable gesture of friendship and reconciliation, prime minister papandreou, newly elected last fall, made turkey the first sight of the prime ministerial job abroad. as we celebrate the greek independence, we recognize greek immigrants and their descendents to the united states. their accomplishments is a testament to their great lands of origin. madam speaker, i extend the

anniversary congratulations to greece, an ancient country of noble traditions, and enjoy all the friendships. i ask my colleagues to support this resolution and i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman from florida. ms. ros-lehtinen: i ask unanimous consent to revise and extend my remarks. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. ms. ros-lehtinen: greek influence on our country has its roots in the classical era of ancient greece. that point in time when the greek political philosophy of democracy was born. in our political debates today, we can easily see the continuing influence of that classical age in our lives. how different would the world be today if the greeks of that day had not stood up to the invading armies of the persian

empire? although the ancient philosophers first conceived a democratic self-government, after their time passed, the greek nation itself in fact became part of larger empires. it was ruled for centuries by men with unquestioned and arbitrary power over life and death, the an thith cisof democracy. by the start of the 1800's, however, the signs were clear. the greek people saw the opportunity and were determined to win back their independence and live in liberty once again. the most eloquent liberty in the nation of greece in the early 19th century was the freedom fighter and a pie poet who before perishing in the struggle penned the immortal line, better one hour of free life than four years of slavery and prison. after the greek revolution was

declared in 1821, this poem became a patriotic call for liberty and the motto for freedom fighters of greece. our founding fathers shared their same passion for liberty, as evidence by patrick henry's famous statement just a few decades earlier, give me liberty or give me death. a brave statement that is so familiar and so similar to the rallying cry of the greek people during their historic struggle. such are the shared ideals, the common values upon which the friendship between greece and america was founded. and that friendship has indeed become a formal alliance. during the 20th century and in every major conflict, greek soldiers stood beside american soldiers in the fight for freedom and liberty. to this day, greece supports our reconstruction and

stabilization missions in iraq and afghanistan. greece has deployed an operational mentor and liaison team to assist nato efforts to train the afghan army. further, the souda bay naval bay on crete has been a valuable support for coalition forces in iraq. during the brutal fighting in 2005 alone, this greek base supported over 11,000 u.s. military ships and planes on their way to iraq. greece has also contributed significant financial and diplomatic support to continuing stabilizing efforts in the balkan region and effectively promoted such efforts in the region during the 2009 chairmanship of the organized of security cooperation in europe. i was honored to have met with the greek prime minister earlier today to discuss these issues and ways to continue

strengthening our bilateral relationship. greece continues today as a valued partner and a strong friend of the united states, and it is my pleasure to offer this resolution recognizing the 189th anniversary of the independence of that great nation -- of that great nation. with that, madam speaker, i have no further requests for time and i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman's time has expired florida yields back the balance of her time. the gentleman from virginia. mr. connolly: madam speaker, i yield two minutes to my friend, the gentleman from maryland, mr. sarbanes. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from maryland is recognized for two minutes. mr. sarbanes: thank you, madam speaker, i thank the gentleman for yielding. madam speaker, today i rise to honor the 189th anniversary of greek independence day. we are also celebrating today

greece's entry in the u.s. visa waiver program, a strong affirmation of the close ties between our two nations. the american people and the people of greece have been united by common values from the very beginning. democracy, liberty, freedom and the idea that the individual should have a say in the workings of society by the values we share and the foundation upon which both of our great nations have been built and have prospered. it's no coincidence, therefore, that greece and the united states have stood by either other's side in every struggle. the two great nations are the historical pillars of democracy, greece as creator and united states as promoter. we recognize them in establishing the modern hellenic public. greece is facing difficult challenges. yesterday as part of his

four-day visit to the united states, the prime minister, george papandreou, delivered an address at the brookings institution in which he described those challenges and emphasized the important royal the united states can play in ensuring that global speculators do not take further advantage of what remains a very fluid situation. america and greece must stand together to ensure that the global economic system is restored, to support european democracy and to foster peace and prosperity around the globe. we are strong allies and up to the task. in that spirit, our country today congratulates greece on the celebration of its independence and looks forward to strengthening our mutual ties in the days to come. i yield back my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. the gentleman from virginia. mr. connolly: thank you, madam speaker. i now yield five minutes to my friend, the gentlelady from new york, mrs. maloney.

the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman from new york is recognized. mrs. maloney: thank you, madam speaker. and thank you, my dear friend, for your leadership and for yielding to me. as an original co-sponsor of h.r. 1107 and co-chair and co-founder of the congressional caucus on hellenic issues, i rise today to celebrate the enrance of greece into the visa waiver program and to celebrate the 189th anniversary of greece's declaration independence from the ottoman empire. against incredibly difficult odds, the greeks defeated one of the most powerful empires in history to win their independence. following 400 years of ottoman rule in march, 1821, bishop -- the bishop rose the great flag at the monastery inciting his countrymen to rise against the

ottoman empire. the bishop could he insided with the greek orthodox holiday, the arch angel announcement that the virgin mary was pregnant with the divine child. his message was clear, a new spirit was to be born in greece. constantinople -- new york city has the largest greek population outside of greece and cyprus. the district i represent is often called little athens because of the large greek population. new yorkers celebrate greek independence day with a parade on fifth avenue along with many cultural events and private gatherings. these events, hosted by the federation of hellenic societies, and other hellenic and other organizations reminds us of the community's many contributions to our nation's

history and culture. i am also pleased that president obama is continuing the tradition of holding a white house celebration in honor of greek independence day. relations between the united states and greece remain strong with a shared commitment to ensuring stability in southeastern europe. i hope permanent solutions can be found for ending the division of cyprus and finding a mutually agreeable name for the former ewing slaff republic of macedonia. i have introduced resolution to respect the rights and religious freedoms of the patriarch. it is time for turkey to move in the direction of freedom and democracy. along with my colleagues, i have worked to ensure that the process for greece's entry into the visa waiver program has continued to move forward. i have add legislation before this body for well over six

years. in september of 2007, greece was formally nominated for the visa waiver program by the u.s. state department and was the only member of the original 15 european union nations not to belong to the visa waiver program. in light of this, i was very, very pleased to learn that just today secretary napolitano announced the inclusion of greece in the program. this is a most welcomed and long overdue development, for greece, the first place of democracy, and one of our nation's closest allies. i ask the nation to join me in celebrating greek's independence. i also join my colleagues in welcoming prime minister papandreou who is visiting this country for four days. it is also my sincere pleasure to pay tribute to new york's hellenic american community and for its many contributions to our city and nation. long live freedom. i yield back the balance of my time.

the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman yields back. the gentleman from virginia. mr. connolly: thank you, madam speaker. i want to thank my colleagues for their thoughtful comments on this important matter, and i want to thank the ranking member, my friend from florida, ms. ros-lehtinen, for her leadership in this manner. also, before i yield back the balance of my time, want to thank both the majority and minority staffs on the committee for their fine work and for my own staff member for her work, especially on the albinism resolution. with that, madam chair, 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 agree to house resolution 1107. those in favor say aye. those opposed, no. in the opinion of the chair, 2/3 being in the affirmative -- ms. ros-lehtinen: madam speaker, on that i request the yeas and nays. the speaker pro tempore: the yeas and nays are requested. those in support of the request for a recorded vote will rise and be counted -- all those in favor of taking this vote by

the 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 proceedings on this motion will be postponed.

the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from missouri seek recognition? >> mr. speaker, i move that the house suspend the rules and pass the bill h.r. 4621. the prevent decenter senses look alike -- census look alike. the clerk: a bill to protect the integrity of the constitutionally mandated united states census and prohibit deceptive mail practices that attempt to exploit the census. the speaker pro tempore: pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from missouri, mr.

clay, and the gentleman from new jersey, mr. garrett, will each control 20 minutes. the chair now recognizes the gentleman from missouri. mr. clay: thank you, mr. speaker. mr. speaker, i ask unanimous consent that all members may have five legislative days in which to very vice and extend their remarks -- which to revise and extend their remarks. i now yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. clay: thank you. mr. speaker, i rise in support of h.r. 4621 as amended. i would like to thank chairman towns and ranking member issa of the committee on oversight and government reform and congresswoman maloney and congressman shaff etc. for working with me on this legislation. as chairman of the information policy census of national archives oversight subcommittee, this legislation is of particular importance to me. this legislation would require certain mailings which have the

term census on the outside of the envelope to also include an accurate return address and the name of the sender on the envelope. h.r. 4621 would also mandate that such mailings follow existing legal requirements to include disclaimers making it clear that the mailing is not from the federal government. h.r. 4621 was introduced on february 9, 2010, and referred to the committee on oversight and government reform. the committee approved a measure with a manager's amendment by voice vote on march 4, 2010. in recent months, mailings which had the word census on the envelope and contents that resemble official census forms have been sent by the republican national committee and other

nonprofit organizations to citizens in several states. the r.n.c. mailers were marked do not destroy, official document. the envelope usually did not include a return address or identifyified the sender. using these terms on the outside of the envelope without a return address and the name of the sender creates an appearance of an official government document. later this month the census bureau will begin conducting the census through the u.s. mail. the census is mandated by article i section 2 of the u.s. constitution. this official government function provides an accurate portrait of the american population. the census serves as a basis for the distribution of hundreds of billions of dollars for schools,

hospitals, job training centers and transportation projects. in addition to conducting the census every 10 years, the census bureau conducts surveys throughout the decade. for example, under the previous administration the bureaus started the american survey which is an annual survey sent to a sample of the public. this survey helps communities understand where and how their population lives and permits the communities to allocate resources accordingly. because legitimate census mailings are used for such important purposes it is critical that the census bureau is able to receive accurate information and that american citizens continue to have confidence in census mailings. increased confidence in the census will save taxpayers money

by improving the response rate. the director of census bureau has said that the bureau will save $85 million for every 1% increase in the mailback response from recipients of the census. this bill is now narrowly tailored to address the specific problems caused by census look alike mailings. this bill would not prevent the use of the term census in mailings altogether. h.r. 4621 would merely require the sender to identify itself and include language, clarifying that the mailing is not from the federal government. mailings by private organizations which appear to be from the census bureau without a proper qualification or disclaimer create a risk of

confusion on the part of citizens who will be receiving actual census mailings this year. h.r. 4621 will help to prevent such confusion. mr. speaker, i urge my colleagues to join me in supporting this legislation and 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 new jersey seek recognition? mr. garrett: mr. speaker, i wish to thank mrs. maloney for her introduction of h.r. 4621, the prevent deceptive census look alike mailings act. what this bill does seek to prevent the word census from appearing on mail that does not pertain directly to the national census. currently we do have laws to address sending deceptive or fraudulent mail and the postal service has a responsibility for investigating those allegations of this nature and determining if a violation has been

committed. however, what this bill will do is reinforce and reiterate existing law. this bill would give postal inspectors and additional tool, if you will, in addressing mail sent by those seeking to capitalize on the important people in places of the u.s. census, mail that may be in a gray area where inspectors are unable to determine whether a violation has been committed or not. the census is one of the most important functions of the federal government, particularly given the role it place in our -- plays it our representative democracy. so confusion and reduced participation can affect political representation. also whether a community receives its fair share of federal dollars. so when a piece of mail says census on it, we want people to take it seriously. to read it. and to respond to it. we must maintain public trust in this process and send the message to citizens that an accurate census is of paramount importance to americans and with that, mr. speaker, i reserve the balance of my time.

the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves the balance of his time. who seeks recognition? mr. clay: mr. speaker, i yield as much time as the gentlewoman from new york can -- needs. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady is recognized. mrs. maloney: mr. speaker, thank you, and i thank the gentleman for yielding and for his leadership in moving this bill to the floor. and i'd also like to thank chairman towns and ranking member issa along with congressman clay and limpling for their support and -- lynch for their support and cooperation. the 2010 census is here. later this week on march 12, 2010, forms will be hitting the mailboxes. that is why we must act quickly to ensure a fair and accurate count without disruption or confusion. many may not realize this, but the constitutionally mandated census is used to determine the distribution of billions of dollars in federal funding into our states and our communities, in addition to determining the number of congressional seats

per state. participation in the census is essential to ensuring a brighter tom for our communities and -- tomorrow for our communities and a representative government for our country. it is because of this we must do everything possible to protect the integrity of the united states census and ensure that it is both accurate and cost effective and why the congress has appropriated hundreds of millions of dollars to the census bureau to encourage participation. unfortunately while the u.s. government is working to encourage participation there are some organizations that are causing confusion. by sending mails that are resemble official census documents. these deceptive mailings include the words, and i quote, census department, census document and official document. but are instead letters seeking

support for other purposes. if we allow organizations to send mock census documents or mock look alikes of the census forms we stand to confuse people and risk a lower response rate which ultimately would increase the cost of the entire count. in fact, every percentage decrease in the mail response rate costs approximately $25 million for the additional expense of sending he numeraters to the homes of those who do not respond to the mailing. after all, when people simply fill out the form and mail it back, it costs the least to our government. former census director, dr. bryant, who served under george h.w. bush, has noted that there are documents that are intentionally made to look like the census in an effort to deceive. that is why i introduced h.r.

4621, the prevent departmentive -- is he september -- deceptive census mailing look alike act, and why i'm grateful we will pass this bill today with bipartisan support. h.r. 4621 would require any mailing with an envelope marked census to clearly indicate the sender and return address. it would also trigger an existing requirement in federal law to include a disclaimer that the mailing is not from or affiliated with the federal government. the bill would not prohibit the use of the word census on a mailing if an organization wants to do a census and call it that -- mailing. if an organization wants to do a census and call it that, that's fine. however the mailer must be absolutely clear that it's not the united states governments' census. this bill will serve as an important tool in protecting the integrity of census mailing and save the taxpayer money in fulfilling the constitutionally

mandated census by limiting any confusion that a deceptive census look alike mailer could cause. finally i would like to note that senator carper intends to move this bill to the senate floor once we pass it in the house. i thank my colleagues for moving swiftly on this issue and urge my colleagues to vote yes. thank you very much and i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from new jersey. mr. garrett: i have no other speakers and i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady yields back the balance of her time. the gentleman from missouri. mr. clay: thank you, mr. speaker. again, i encourage my friend from both sides of the aisle to join me in supporting this as amended and again i thank the gentlewoman from new york for her leadership on this legislation 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. 4621 as amended.

those in favor say aye. those opposed, no. mr. clay: mr. speaker. mr. speaker. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman will suspend. those opposed, no. in the opinion of the chair, 2/3 of those voting having responded in the affirmative -- mr. clay: mr. speaker. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from missouri. mr. clay: i request the yeas and nays. the speaker pro tempore: the yeas and nays are requested. all those in favor of taking this 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 missouri seek recognition?

mr. clay: mr. speaker, i move that the house suspend the rules and agree to the resolution h.r. 4624 to designate facility of the u.s. postal service located at 125 kerr avenue in rome city, indiana, as the specialist nicholas scott hartge post office. the speaker pro tempore: the clerk will report the title of the bill. the clerk: h.r. 4624, a bill to designate the facility of the united states postal service located at 125 kerr avenue in rome city, indiana, as the f.p.c. nicholas scott hartge post office. . the speaker pro tempore: purpt to the rule, the gentleman from missouri, mr. clay and the gentleman from new jersey, mr. garrett, each will control 20

minutes. the chair recognizes the gentleman from missouri. mr. clay: i ask unanimous consent that all members have five legislative days within which to revise and extend their remarks. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, so ordered. mr. clay: i now yield myself such time as i may consume. i rise in support of h.r. 4624. this legislation will designate the facility of the u.s. postal service located at 125 kerr avenue in rome city, indiana, as the specialist nicholas scott hartge post office, army specialist hartge was raised in the small town of rome city in northeastern indiana. after the terrorists attacks of september 11, 2001, specialist hartge enlisted in the infantry while still in high school and stationed in germany before

deploying to iraq. on may 14, 2007, specialist hartge's patrol came under heavy attack. he was killed in combat when his humvee hit a roadside bomb while maneuvering under intense fire. for his service to his country, specialist hartge received a commend dation medal for outstanding achievement to help capture the enemy in iraq and bronze star for his actions on the day he was killed. he is missed by his family, community and country. our nation owes a great debt of gratitude for his service. h.r. 4624 was introduced by the gentleman from indiana, representative mark souder, on february 9, 2010. the measure was referred to the committee on government oversight and reform which approved it by unanimous consent

. the measure enjoys the support of the entire indiana delegation. mr. speaker, i urge my colleagues to join me in supporting this bill. and i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves the balance of his time. the gentleman from new jersey. mr. garrett: thank you, mr. speaker. i yield myself such time as i may consume. i rise today in support of h.r. 4624, designating the facility of the united states post office located at 125 kerr avenue in rome city, indiana, as spc nicholas scott hartge post office. it was back on may 14, 2007 that specialist hartge met a tragic yet heroic fate when his came in contact with enemy forces. it is appropriate that we

recognize the ultimate sacrifice that he has made for his country. he was raised in rome city, indiana. the specialist was profoundly affected by 9/11 and the attacks on the united states. it was then that he decided that he wanted to, more than anything else, serve his country. so before graduating from east noble high school, he enlisted in the army. just one week after graduation, he left for boot camp at fort beening. in august of 2006, he was deployed to iraq where he and his unit patrolled the difficult streets of the city and risking his life every day, he served as a driver and radio telephone operator. although he was one of the younger members of his unit, still in all, he distinguished himself as hard working, a good soldier and type of person his

comrades could count on. he believed in what he was fighting for. he believed that they were really helping the people of iraq. while he was only 20 years old, he aspired to do something special with his life and indeed, when we think about it, he did. he became a positive role model for those he surrounded himself with. he once told his fellow soldiers that, quote, you know, the army doesn't give you values, it develops values that you already had from your parents. that's so true. he is survived now by his parents, a sister, a brother, a fellow soldier, yet this fine young man embodied the values and passions of this great nation and sadly he paid the ultimate sacrifice to preserve those freedoms for all of us. 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 missouri.

mr. clay: we have no further speakers. i continue to reserve. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from new jersey. mr. garrett: reclaiming my time. mr. speaker, as i come to this floor and speak about this fallen soldier, i'm mindful of the fact that i was here only well, several weeks ago submitting a similar resolution for a young man about the equal age back from our district from the 5th congressional district of the state of new jersey. and likewise in this circumstance, we saw the outpouring of support from the people of this community on the day that he was returned once and for all in his final resting place in his hometown and at that time, members of the fire department, the mayor and council and the entire community

came out and recognized him. it was at that point we realized that it's a day to remember these fallen soldiers when they do come back, but that day is a fleeting day. and even when you talk to the parents of the soldiers at those funerals and the services, they don't really remember it in some ways. a week later, it was such a blur, a fast passing and all the commotion that went on that day, it's hard to remember who was there. so i'm sure like the speaker on the other side of the aisle and other members of the other side of the aisle agree, for this reason we come to the floor today to name the post office for specialist hartge because we just don't want to make it a one-day event or an incident where the community comes out and pays respect in the church service and at the grave site or be a time that is in passing. but we want to have something

there in the community that day in and day out that members of his family, members of the community that he grew up with, his boyhood friends will be able to see his name on a post office. we want to have something in the community that in days in the future, when future generations grow up, kids that he grew up with, have gotten married and have children themselves and come back to town they will see specialist hartge's name up on the post office and they will ask, who was that specialist, who was that sold year and some will say i remember when he grew up here and what he did for the town, i remember him going to the high school and the friends he had there, and i remember the love he had for his family, brother and sister and everyone else here. i remember him for the sacrifice that he made for this country

overseas. and so in that respect, a little bit of him will be remembered for this generation and for his posterity as well. i thank the gentleman for moving this piece of legislation in a bipartisan manner so that piece of pim will be remembered for posterity. i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves the balance of his time. mr. garrett: i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from missouri. mr. clay: i want to thank the gentleman from new jersey for his kind words about specialist hartge. also, mr. speaker, again, i encourage my friends on both sides of the aisle to join me in supporting h.r. 4624. 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, the house suspend the rules and pass h.r. 4624. 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. for what purpose does the gentleman from missouri seek recognition? mr. clay: i move the house suspend the rules and gee to the resolution h. res. 1036, recognizing the contributions of korean americans to the united states. the speaker pro tempore: the clerk will report the title of the resolution. the clerk: house resolution 1036, resolution recognizing the contributions of korean americans to the united states. the speaker pro tempore: pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from missouri, mr. clay, and the gentleman from new jersey, mr. garrett, will each control 20 minutes. the chair recognizes the gentleman from missouri, mr. clay. mr. clay: mr. speaker, i ask unanimous consent that all members may have five legislative days within which to

revise and extend their remarks. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. mr. clay: i now yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. clay: i rise in support of house resolution 1036, a resolution that will recognize the contributions of korean americans to the united states. korean americans have contributed significantly to the culture, economy and success of the united states. january 13, 2010, marked the 107th anniversary of the beginning of korean immigration into the united states. there are more than 1.5 million people of korean decent living in the united states. korean americans have helped our communities and our nation and added significantly to the development of the arts, sciences, engineering, medicine, government, military, education

and the economy of the united states. house resolution 1036 was introduced by the gentleman from new jersey, representative scott garrett, on january 22, 2010. the measure was referred to the committee on oversight, which ordered it reported by unanimous consent on march 4, 2010. the bill enjoys bipartisan support from over 50 members of congress. mr. speaker, i urge my colleagues to join me in supporting house resolution 1036 and i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves the balance of his time. the chair now recognizes the gentleman from new jersey, mr. garrett. mr. garrett: mr. speaker, i rise to express my strong support recognizing the contribution of korean americans to this, the united states. it was back on january 13, that we marked the 107th anniversary

of korean american day. it was on that day 107 years ago that a boat carrying 102 immigrants arrived in hawaii. in the years since that time, many have come to the united states for lots of reasons. korean americans have made a tremendous contribution to this united states. at the beginning, these immigrants were laborers on farms, worked in mines and railroads. it was their hard labor that helped build this country. today, there are over one million korean americans. and so this year marks another great anniversary for them. and that anniversary is this, it was the korean war that began 60 years ago this june impacting the lives of many koreans. by the 1960's, koreans became one of the top five immigrant groups to the united states as

many sought hope, freedom and refuge from poverty and violence. the consequences of a divided korean peninsula affect the world then as it does today and we'll continue to work for diplomatic resolutions to resolve this conflict and norte korea free of nuclear weapons as well. these immigrants have been made untold contributions to the american society and have raised strong and good families and built successful businesses, dineic communities, active civic associations, churches and charities. thousands of korean american communities currently serving in our armed forces and many of them deployed overseas today in harm's way are keeping our nations safe from terrorism and other risks. whether it's in military, in education, in science, in business or in the arts, korean americans have played and continue today to play a vital

role in shaping communities throughout this country. so, mr. chairman, i come pleased to present this opportunity to recognize their contributions that american koreans have made to our nation and urge all of us here on the floor and my colleagues across this house to support h. res. 1036. and with that, i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves the balance of his time. the gentleman from missouri. mr. clay: mr. speaker, again, i encourage my friends from both sides of the aisle to join me in supporting house resolution 1036. 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 new jersey. mr. garrett: we have no other speakers at this time. i say thank you to the gentleman from the other side of the aisle. with that, i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: all time has been yielded back. the question is will the house suspend the rules and agree to house resolution 1036. 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 resolution is agreed to. and without objection, the motion to reconsider is laid on the table. . for what purpose does the gentleman from missouri seek recognition? mr. clay: mr. speaker, i move that the house suspend the rules and agree to the resolution h.r. 4547, to designate the facility of the u.s. postal service located at 119 station road in cheyney, pennsylvania, as the captain luther h. smith u.s. army air forces post office. the speaker pro tempore: the clerk will report the title of the bill. the clerk: h.r. 4547, a bill to designate facility of the united states postal service located at 119 station road in cheyney, pennsylvania, as the captain luther h. smith u.s. army air forces post office. the speaker pro tempore: pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from missouri, mr.

clay, will control 20 minutes, and the gentleman from new jersey, mr. garrett, will control 20 minutes. the chair now recognizes the gentleman from missouri. mr. clay: mr. speaker, i ask unanimous consent that all members display five legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. mr. clay: thank you, mr. speaker. and i now yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. clay: thank you. mr. speaker, i rise in support of h.r. 4547, this legislation will designate the facility of the u.s. postal service located at 119 station road in cheyney, pennsylvania, as the captain luther h. smith u.s. army air forces post office. luther smith was one of the original tusky i go airmen, a highly decorated world war ii prisoner of war and a recipient of the congressional gold medal. one of the first african-americans to become a licensed pilot, captain smith

began his military career in 1943. he flew 133 combat missions with the 332nd fighter group as a combat fighter pilot over europe. he was severely wounded on his last mission in october, 1944, and spent the next seven months in enemy hospitals and prison camps before being liberated in may of 1945 by the allied forces. during his distinguished military career captain smith destroyed two german aircraft in aerial conflicts and 10 aircraft in ground attacks. captain smith was awarded the distinguished flying cross, the air medal with six oak leaf clusters, the purple heart, the prisoner of war medal and eight european theater campaign

ribbons. after retiring from the u.s. air -- army air forces, captain smith earned a b.s. in mechanical engineering at the university of iowa. ests hired by general electorate where -- general electric -- he was hired by general electric. his work included missile and jet engine design and he published numerous papers and was awarded two patents. following his retirement from g.e. in 1988 captain smith was active in support of local civic causes, serving as the vice chairman of the rat in her township, pennsylvania school board and the board of the delaware community college in pennsylvania. he also was instrumental in preserving the history of the tus key gee airmen. he and two other tus keegee airmen were featured in the 2006

documentary on freedom's wings, bound for glory, the legacy of the tus key gee airmen. he also designed a plaque for the airmen in arlington national cemetery in may of 199 -- cemetery. in may of 1995 he was selected by president bill clinton to represent the u.s. air force for the 50th anniversary celebration of v.e. day and he accompanied president clinton and vice president gore to europe. captain smith was a pioneer in american military and aviation history and left a lasting legacy for future pilots and engineers. mr. speaker, h.r. 4547 was introduced by the gentleman from pennsylvania, representative joe sestak, on january 27, 2010, and was reported out of the committee on oversight by

unanimous consent on march 4, 2010. this legislation enjoys the support of the entire pennsylvania delegation. mr. speaker, i urge my colleagues to join me in supporting h.r. 4547 and i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves the balance of his time. the gentleman from new jersey. mr. garrett: mr. speaker, i yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. garrett: mr. speaker, i do rise today in support of h.r. 4547, designating the facility of the u.s. post office located at 119 station road in cheyney, pennsylvania, as the captain luther h. smith u.s. army air force post office. luther h. smith, he was an original member of the now legislateary tuskegee airmen. his accomplishments have already been set forth. during world war ii, they speak truly for themselves but deserve to be mentioned here on the floor. mr. smith was award thed the distinguished flying cross, the

purple heart, the air medal with six oak leaf clusters and the prisoner of war medal and campaign ribbons. it was on october 13, 1944, while he was flying a mission over hungary, that mr. smith's p-51 fire plane was caught fire and he was forced to bail out. saved then only by a parachute, he lost consciousness as he drifted downward toward earth, snapping his hip in two different places when he crashed into a tree. later there were some german solders who found him and he was placed in a german hospital and then after that a prison camp for seven months until the war ended. wounded and starving, exuberant and now talktive man nick named as quibbles by his army friends was in 70 towns during his internment. he received an engineering degree from the university of iowa. he went on to spend the next 37 years as an aerospace engineer for general electric, leveraging

his experience to hold two u.s. patents, a testimony, i think, to his creativity and his innovation. mr. speaker, mr. smith's life is an inspiration and his tremendous sacrifices and clear willingness to place himself in harm's way for the nation -- for the nation -- for the snation worthy of our commenttation -- for our nation is worthy of our commendation. i ask that his life's story continue to inspire generations of americans to serve this country. so i thank you, mr. speaker, and i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves the balance of his time. the gentleman from missouri. mr. clay: mr. speaker, i continue to reserve. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from missouri reserves his time. the gentleman from new jersey. mr. garrett: i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from new jersey yields back his time. the gentleman from missouri. mr. clay: mr. speaker, again i encourage my friends from both sides of the aisle to join me in supporting h.r. 4547, mr. smith

certainly led an exemplary life which we can all be proud of and i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. all time has been yielded back. the question is will the house suspend the rules and pass h.r. 4547. 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 gentleman

from puerto rico seek recognition? mr. pierluisi: i ask that the house agree to house resolution 1047. the clerk: house resolution 1047. resolution commending the ohio state university buckeye football team for its victory in the 2010 rose bowl. the speaker pro tempore: pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from puerto rico, mr. pierluisi, and the gentleman from wisconsin, mr. petri, will each control 20 minutes. the chair now recognizes the gentleman from puerto rico. mr. pierluisi: mr. speaker, i request five legislative days during which members may revise and extend and insert extraneous material on h.r. 1047 into the record. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. mr. pierluisi: i yield myself as much time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. pierluisi: i rise today to congratulate ohio state university buckeyes football team for their victory in the

2010 ncaa rose bowl. on january 1, the ohio state buckeyes of the big ten conference faced off against the oregon dogs from the pac-10 conference from the -- for the 96th rose bowl game. the buckeyes defeated the dogs of a score of 26-17, collecting their secretary of nt rose bowl crown. the buckeyes finished their season with an 1-2 record and a fifth national -- 11-2 record and a fifth national ranking. ohio state won its fifth consecutive big ten title, playing in its fifth consecutive b.c.s. bull game. the buckeyes have played in eight b.c.s. games, the most of any school. the players and coaches deserve to be recognized for their outstanding accomplishments. congratulations are in order for terrel prior, ohio state's quarterback and 2010 rose bowl m.v.p.

he threw for 266 yards, ran for 72 yards and scored two touchdowns, leading all players from both teams in this categories -- in these categories. i also want to extend my congratulations to head coach jean tressel. coach tressel just completed his ninth season with the buckeyes. so he's taking the position, trussle has led the buckeyes to a record of 94-21, with nine bowl appearances and one national championship. the extraordinary achievement is a tribute to the skill and dedication of the many players, coaches, students, alumni, families and fans that have helped to make their highest -- ohio state university buckeyes a great football program. winning the rose bowl and finishing the season with an 11-2 overall record have brought acclaim to the school and to the buckeye football team. i know the fans of the university will revel in this victory as they look forward to

the 2010 season. mr. speaker, once again i congratulate the ohio state university buckeyes for their success and thank congresswoman kilroy for bringing this bill forward. i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves the balance of his time. the gentleman from wisconsin, mr. petri. mr. petri: mr. speaker, i yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. petri: i rise today in support of the resolution before us, house resolution 1047, commending the ohio state university buckeyes football team for its victory in 2010's rose bowl game. the 2010 rose bowl, the ohio state university buckeyes defeated university of oregon on january 1, 2010. sophomore quarterback terrell prior scored two touchdowns and was rose bowl offensive most valuable player. although oregon's team fought

valiantly, the buckle eyes -- buckeyes' defense held fast. despite the dogs' lead early in the first quarter, the buckeyes marched forward to win the game 26-17. known as the granddaddy of them all, the rose bowl game kicked off a myriad of college football legacies in 1,902. since then the game has show cased 18 heisman trophy winners, produced 32 national champions, featured 193 consensus all americans and honored 98 college football legends by inducting them into the rose bowl hall of fame. the 2010 rose bowl was the seventh rose bowl won by the buckeyes. the 2009-2010 season marked the fifth consecutive big ten title for the buckeyes and the fifth consecutive b.c.s. bowl for the team. ohio state was ranked fifth nationally and competed in a

manner unparalleled in the rose bowl game. the buckeyes have won seven national championships and produced seven heisman trophy winsers -- winners. while the excellence presents itself on the grid iron, ohio state university's commitment to academic excellence is equally abundant. ohio state university is the flagship constitution of ohio's -- institution of ohio's public university system. it's been rankeded a the 18th best public university and houses several programs that were ranked among the top 10 in these united states. . i extend muy congratulations to the head coach and all the hard-working players, fans and to high state university, happy to recognize the buckeyes for their accomplishments and wish all involved continued success,

except of course when they are playing the wisconsin badgers. i ask my colleagues to support this resolution and i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves the balance of his time. the gentleman from puerto rico. mr. pierluisi: i'm pleased to recognize ms. kilroy, the sponsor of this legislation, for as much time as she may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady is consumed. ms. kilroy: i rise in support of house resolution 1047, bipartisan legislation i introduced, to recognize the ohio state university buckeyes football team for its victory in the 2010 rose bowl. as a graduate of ohio state university and represented of the 15th congressional district where ohio state university is located, it is my pleasure to wear this today and congratulate

the buckeyes on a wonderful season, particularly for its rose bowl win. i would like to thank the 26 co-sponsors of this resolution for joining me in recognizing the buckeyes' achievements including all 18 members of the ohio delegation. buckeyes football units us across party lines and i thank my big 10 colleague from wisconsin for his support of the resolution and particularly for his kind words about ohio state university's strong history of academic achievement. i am pleased we can set aside partisan differences to come together and reckthies the achievements of the student athletes of buckeye football. i would like to thank chairman miller for his help in bringing this resolution to the floor. on january 1, 2010, fans of ohio state cheered on the buckeyes as they defeated the deduction

26-19 in the rose bowl townment. it was the fifth b.c.s. appearance. the buckeyes' strong defense held the high-powered oregon offense. and while the win was a result of a tremendous team effort, quarterback pryor turned in an exceptional individual performance going for 266 yards and rushing for 72 more, earning the most valuable player award. i would like to take this opportunity to congratulate the buckeyes' opponent oregon deduction on a great season, led by their quarterback and their running back, the deduction came -- the ducks came in.

oregon overcame adversity all season and should also be proud of their achievement. great thing about college football is that you see the students come and go and new teams every year. and after losing a wealth of experience on both offense and defense, some thought that 2009 might be a rebuilding year for the ohio state buckeyes' football team. but instead, they had a banner month in november. they tallied wins then over number 10 penn state, number 13 iowa and thrilling overtime game on their way to winning the big 10 title. the buckeyes achieved many historic achievements during the 2009 season. the team earned its fifth consecutive big 10 conference title. the buckeyes won at least 10 games, five straight years, for the first time in the program's storied history. the ohio state defense was

ranked in the top five nationally in four statistical categories while shutting their opponents out three times. this year's senior class is the most successful in ohio state's history winning 44 games over the past four years. the head coach became only the second ohio state coach, along with woody hayes to win the rose bowl championship and a national championship with the buckeyes. most importantly, 31 buckeyes were named to the big 10 all-academic team and the buckeyes have led it for eight consecutive seasons. one other comment about the rose bowl and this one about the rose bowl parade. i know many great marching bands, including those from ohio, marched on that day in the rose bowl parade, but it was a banner day when the marching

band from the ohio state school for the blind marched the streets of pasadena as part of the rose bowl parade, a historic first. and really congratulate those students, their teachers and band director. we're very proud of their outstanding achievement as well. as it turns out, the buckeyes' victory in the rose bowl was a sign of good things to come for ohio state athletics. the basketball team recently won the season title for a sixth year in a row and big 10 tournament title for the second year in a row. the men's basketball team won the championship going boo this weekend's big 10 tournament. i wish both of these teams best of luck during their post-season run. i urge my colleagues to support this bipartisan resolution recognizing the ohio state buckeyes athletic and academic achievements.

the 2009 buck eyes' football team conducted itself on and off the field with the excellence we have come to expect from this great program. i congratulate the buckeyes on their season and look forward to cheering them on in 2010. as we say in ohio, go bucks. . i yield back. mr. pierluisi: i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from wisconsin is recognized. mr. petri: i have no further requests for time. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. the gentleman from puerto rico. mr. pierluisi: i urge my colleagues to join me in this resolution congratulating the ohio state buckeyes for their rose bowl victory. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. the question is, will the house suspend the rules and agree to pass house resolution 1047.

those in favor say aye. those opposed, no. in the opinion of the chair, 2/3 the -- the gentleman from puerto rico. mr. pierluisi: i object to the vote on the ground that a quorum is not present and make a point of order that a quorum is not present. the speaker pro tempore: pursuant to clause 8 of rule 20 and the chair's prior announcement, further proceedings on this motion will be postponed. for what purpose does the gentleman from puerto rico seek recognition? mr. pierluisi: i move that the house suspend the rules and agree to house resolution 1142. the speaker pro tempore: the clerk will the title of the resolution. the clerk: house resolution 1142, resolution congratulating silver lake college for 75 years of service as an undergraduate institution of higher education. the speaker pro tempore: pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from puerto rico, mr.

pierluisi and jask -- the gentleman from wisconsin, mr. pete try, each will control 20p minutes. the gentleman from puerto rico. mr. pierluisi: i ask unanimous consent that members may include extraneous material on h.r. 1142 into the record. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. the gentleman is recognized. mr. pierluisi: i rise today in strong support of house resolution 1142, which congratulates silver lake college for 75 years of service as an undergraduate institution of higher education. founded in the late 1800's, silver lake college has emerged as a strong academic environment for students looking on one -on-one education. it offers a seven-to-one

student-teacher ratio and provides a vast array of study for its students. silver lake college gives students and teachers an opportunity to ex sell in and out of the classroom. it was founded on catholic values. these values focus on commitment to community, compassion, peace and reference for creation. students at silver lake college learn to connect the mind and spirit through francis can traditions. ideals are instilled in the students and these ideals are ex policemen apply fide. -- exemplified. they raised funds for victims of the haiti earthquake. students hosted a rock and roll

concert and sold food at fundraisers throughout campus. with all proceeds going to earthquake victims. this year, silver lake college will celebrate 75 years of service and cultivating young men and women with promising career paths. mr. speaker, once again, i express my support for silver lake college and thank congressman petri for bringing this bill forward. i urge my colleagues to join me in support of this resolution. i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves the balance of his time. the gentleman from wisconsin is recognized. mr. petri: i yield myself such time as i may consume. i rise in support of house resolution 1142 congratulating silver lake college for 75 years of service as an undergraduate institution of higher education. silver lake college is a four-year catholic college located in wisconsin in the

congressional district i represent. the college was founded in the late 1800's, by the sisters of christian charity. the state of wisconsin granted silver lake its charter as a four-year undergraduate liberal arts institution and confered its first degree four years later. they admitted lay women on a regular basis in 1957 and became core educational to better meet the educational needs of the local area. today, silver lake serves over 1,000 students and offers the seven-to-one student to teacher ratio and has 24 areas of stewedy. a pioneer in the music field, silver lake college is the only college to have an established undergraduate co-concept music education concentration. silver lake college has a highly regarded reputation for its

graduate and undergraduate education programs. the college has expanded its reach throughout the state of wisconsin offering classes in a variety of communities including green bay and many others. silver lake college strifes to develop a community of life-long learners to provide educational opportunities for professional preparation within a liberal arts experience, to prepare students for intellectual inquiry and appreciation and to foster commitment to christian values, service and leadership in the world community. this past fall as part of a 10-year campus master plan, silver lake college opened its first on-campus resident hall. plans are in the works for the construction of a new music education and performance center along wg athletics and events center. i had the opportunity to visit the college on numerous

occasions and commend dr. arnold for his efforts in working with the local community and businesses to enhance student learning opportunities. strong institutions help to make strong communities and the people of wisconsin, especially those in and near the college, are proud of the 75 years of service that silver lake college has provided. the growth, strength and vitality of silver lake college is an achievement well worth special recognition. i extend my congratulations to silver lake college on its 75 anniversary and wish faculty, students continued success. i ask my colleagues to support this resolution and i have no additional speakers. and yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. the gentleman from puerto rico. mr. pierluisi: i now urge my colleagues to join me in supporting this resolution congratulati s