that the country understand that teen violence among those who are dating is a tremendous problem. i have four kids. three of them are girls. and that has always been a concern as they were growing up, as all parents have. and so i totally support this resolution and urge its adoption. i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields the balance of his time. the gentleman from tennessee. mr. cohen: thank you, mr. speaker. i urge my colleagues to support this important resolution, h.res. 1081. i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from tennessee yields the balance of his time. the question is now will the house suspend the rules and agree to house resolution number 1081. so many as are in favor say aye . those opposed, no. in the opinion of the chair, 2/3 of those voting having responded in the affirmative, the rules are suspended, the resolution is agreed to, and without objection the mobaling the motion to reconsider is laid upon the table. .

for what purpose does the gentleman from tennessee seek recognition? mr. cohen: mr. speaker, i move to suspend the rules and pass house resolution 1087. the speaker pro tempore: the clerk will report the title of the resolution. the clerk: house resolution 1087, resolution honoring the life of john h. "jack" ruffin jr. the speaker pro tempore: pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from tennessee, mr. cohen, and the gentleman from texas, mr. poe, each will control 20 minutes. the chair now recognizes the gentleman from tennessee, mr. cohen. mr. cohen: thank you, mr. speaker. i ask unanimous consent that all members may have five legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on the resolution as they see fit. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, so ordered. mr. cohen: and i yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from tennessee is recognized. mr. cohen: house resolution 1087 honors the life of john h. "jack" ruffin jr. judge ruffin fwan his career as a civil rights attorney and advanced civil rights for all. judge ruffin spent most of his life in the great state of georgia. he was born in burke county, georgia, and grand waited from

waynesboro high industrial school. he moved to washington, d.c., to attend law school at howard university school of law. he filed lawsuits to desegregate the public schools in georgia. after several additional years of fighting for civil rights, he became the first african-american member of the augusta bar association. after 33 years of practicing law, judge ruffin was administered the oath of office and took the bench as the 62nd judge of the court of appeals in the state of georgia. he made history as the first african-american superior court judge in the augusta judicial circuit and later made history again when he served as the first african-american chief judge at the georgia court of appeals. when he died he was still -- before he died he was still a working judge. we mourn his passing but we're pleased to honor his many civil

rights and legal accomplishments today. he stands as did thurgood marshall and others as great individuals who used the courts to advance civil rights. i urge my colleagues to support this important resolution, and i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves the balance of his time. the gentleman from texas, mr. poe. mr. poe: i yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized, mr. poe from texas. mr. poe: i rise in support of resolution 1087 which honors the life of judge jack ruffin. judge ruffin was a pioneering civil rights lawyer in his community and his impact on the civil rights movement affects many today. he was born in waynesboro, georgia, where his portrait today hangs in the burke county courthouse. and growing up in the deep south, his mother wanted him to be a school teacher and not a lawyer because she feared for his safety. but not to be intimidated, judge ruffin went to law school anyway, and despite his mother's concerns about his safety he became a lawyer. after law school he moved to,

georgia, where he became the first african-american member of the augusta bar association. he argued countless cases for civil rights. perhaps the most notable case, acree vs. board of education, he filed suit to desegregate the school system, which included the city of augusta. legislation continued for decades before he finally obtained a court order to integrate the system. from 1986 to 1994 he served as the first african-american superior court judge in the augusta judicial circuit. in 1994 he was appointed to the georgia court of appeals, and in 2005 he became the first african-american chief judge of the georgia court of appeals. and in 2009 the augusta-richmond county commission decided to name the new richmond county judicial center in augusta in jack ruffin's honor. judge ruffin's selfless and brave pursuit of equal justice for everyone earned the respect and admiration of everyone for

generations to come. i urge my colleagues to support this resolution, and i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from texas reserves the balance of his time. the gentleman from tennessee. mr. cohen: mr. speaker, i yield three minutes to the distinguished gentleman from georgia, mr. barrow. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from georgia, mr. barrow, is recognized for three minutes. mr. barrow: thank you, mr. speaker. i thank the gentleman for yielding. mr. speaker, i rise today in support of h.res. 1087, a resolution honoring my good friend, judge ruffin of augusta, georgia. he passed away on january 29 at the age of 75. he had a long and distinguished career service in georgia and he'll truly be missed. jack ruffin was born in the middle of the great depression and spent his formative years in the town of waynesboro, georgia. he left home to attend morehouse college. at the time his mother wanted him to be a teacher but jack ruffin had other plans. he moved to washington, d.c., attended howard university school of law and got his j.d.

degree in 1960. jack ruffin could have built a successful law practice anywhere in the country but he decided to return home to the deeply segregated city of augusta to practice law. he rooted out racial prejudice. jack ruffin fought for his own right to practice his profession and became the first black lawyer admitted to the augusta law -- bar association. he fought for the rights of everyone in the community. among other causes he took on, he desegregated the richmond and burke county school systems. he was appointed to the georgia court of appeals in 1994. he became the first black chief judge in 1996. after his retirement in 2008, judge ruffin spent the remainder of his life teaching at morehouse college. the resolution before us today honoring jack ruffin's life is sponsored by every single

member of the georgia congressional delegation. that speaks not only to jack ruffin's character but also to how far we've come as a state and as a nation. jack ruffin did as much to change the laws and attitudes in georgia as anyone else of his generation and because of that we are a free and better people. i express my appreciation to jack ruffin. thank you, mr. speaker. i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. the gentleman from tennessee reserves the balance of -- reserves his time. mr. cohen: just as i was as a basketball player, i'll reserve. the speaker pro tempore: reserve. mr. cohen: reserve the balance of my time. mr. poe: reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves the balance of his time. mr. cohen: and i'd reserve and close after the gentleman from texas. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from texas ready to close? mr. poe: i'm ready to close. i urge support of this

resolution. i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from texas, mr. poe, yields the balance of his time. the gentleman from tennessee. mr. cohen: thank you, mr. speaker. i thank mr. barrow for bringing the resolution. the gentleman such as judge ruffin need to be remembered and others to follow in his footsteps. so i yield back the balance of my time and ask all of my colleagues to join me in voting aye on house resolution 1087. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. the question is will now, will the nouse -- house suspend the rules and agree to house resolution 1087. those in favor say aye. those opposed say no. in the opinion of the chair, 2/3 being in the affirmative, the rules are suspended, the resolution is agreed to and wowed -- and without objection the motion to reconsider is laid on the table. for what purpose does the gentleman from tennessee seek recognition? mr. cohen: mr. speaker, i move to suspend the rules and pass

h.r. 4506 as amended. the speaker pro tempore: the clerk will report the title of the bill. the clerk: h.r. 4506, a bill to authorize the appointment of additional bankruptcy judges, and for other purposes. the speaker pro tempore: pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from tennessee, mr. cohen, and the gentleman from texas, mr. poe, each will control 20 minutes. the chair recognizes the gentleman from tennessee, mr. cohen. mr. cohen: thank you, mr. speaker. i ask unanimous consent that all members may have five legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on the bill under consideration. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, so ordered. mr. cohen: and i yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from tennessee is recognized, mr. cohen. mr. cohen: thank you, mr. speaker. h.r. 4506, the bankruptcy judgeship act of 2010, provides new resources for bankruptcy courts to handle the growing number and complexity of bankruptcy cases. this economy has resulted in many people having to seek bankruptcy who never would have dreamed they would have before. and the complexity of cases, from major automobile

manufacturers, on through other reorganizations, have grown in a complexity for the bankruptcy judges to be involved in. the bill authorizes the creation of 13 new permanent bankruptcy judges, the conversion of 22 temporary judgeships to permanent judgeships and the extension of two judgeships for another five years. the act will help bankruptcy courts in 25 different federal judicial districts around this country. bankruptcies have been steadily on the rise since october, 2006. these events -- bankruptcies rising and the financial crisis combined with the continuing mortgage forecloweure crisis, consume -- foreclosure crisis has caused the bankruptcy courts much additional work. accordingly, the administration office of the courts, bankruptcy increased by 34.5% increase in one year. in the previous year they

increased by 30.2%. in "the wall street journal," they recently reported increase of bankruptcy filings in 2009, up 32% from 2008. according to "the wall street journal," these increases were due to unemployment rate and the foreclosure rate. middle-class families have had to turn to the bankruptcy system for the last resort. the cases have grown more complex, particularly in business bankruptcies. as i mentioned earlier in 2009 two of the three big, general motors and chrysler, tens of workers, hundreds of dealers, hundreds of suppliers and many communities across this nation dependent on their livelyhoods went through quick but nonetheless quick bankruptcy processes. bankruptcy courts performed admirably but under strain. outside the automobile industry, businesses such as

delta airlines to lehman brothers to circuit city have turned to bankruptcy in recent years. with the extraordinary burden on the bankruptcy courts. while the workload for bankruptcy courts is increasing, judicial resources are decreasing. many judgeships are authorized on a temporary basis and some are set to expire soon. a well-functioning bankruptcy system is absolutely essential to helping individuals and businesses whether our nation's current economic -- whether our nation's current -- weather our nation's current economic difficulties. judges have never been more important than today. h.r. 4506, the bankruptcy judgeship act of 2010, addresses these needs, has the conversion of 22 temporary judgeships to permanent judgeships and extends two judgeships for another five years it reflects the recommendations of the judicial conference of the united

states. those recommendations are the culmination of extensive of a careful survey and review process that thoroughly reviews every judicial district in america as transparent, fair, methodcal and rational. i know the assessment of judges' workload is the case weights that was developed almost two decades ago prior the enactment of the bankruptcy abuse and consumer protection act of 2005 which we still labor under. the -- it created new motions that bankruptcy judges are now required to consider. if anything, the judicial conference recommendations may underestimate the need of the workload and the need of new bankruptcy judges. in short, the conference's recommendations is reflected in the new bankruptcy judgeships authorized by h.r. 4506 may be too conservative. the bill also waives the filing fees for chapter 7 and 13 by

one dollar. and for chapter 11 cases, which are business bankruptcies, by $42. while i understand that filing fees are needed for the successful operation of the bankruptcy system, i believe they are already too high. particularly for consumers seeking bankruptcy relief because they are in dire straits. in this one instance we ultimately determine that a fee increase was the only practical need to get the needed judgeships in timely manner which will have the efficient bankruptcy system to the ultimate benefit of debtors. so in massing a bankruptcy system we wanted to have funds to make it self-sufficient. to put our bankruptcy -- while saving the bankruptcy system seemed like an oxymoron. but i would urge in the future we rely on something other than bankruptcy filing fee increases to pay for new bankruptcy judgeships. the last time congress authorized or even addressed the issue of bankruptcy judgeships was five years ago and authorized 28 temporary judgeships in the consumer

protection act of 2005. those temporary judgeships are now about to expire. moreover, the last time that congress had temporary judgeships was in 1992. s well past the time we -- it's well past the time we address these needs and i'm pleased we're able to do so today. i thank john conyers and lamar smith for being original co-sponsors and our judiciary committee working in a bipartisan fashion to pass the bill. i also thank trent franks, the ranking member on commercial and administrative law, which i chair, for his support of this bill. and i guess it wasn't an oxymoron but an inconsistency. i urge my colleagues to support this important legislation, and i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from tennessee reserves the balance of his time. the gentleman from texas. mr. poe: mr. speaker, i rise in support of this legislation, and i reserve -- i yield myself such time as i may consume. .

the judicial conference has requested more judgeships several and the house has passed legislation to add them. however our friends down the hallway, the senate, has not acted on any of these requests. since congress last authorized additional permanent judgeships, judicial work loads have increased substantially. the important bankruptcy reforms congress passed in 2005, for example, called on judges to do more to prevent abuse. congress compensated for some of the court's increasing burden in recent years by creating temporary bankruptcy judgeships. many of those judgeships are near their expiration dates. so the time has come for congress once again to address bankruptcy judgeship needs on a permanent basis. bankruptcy judges are e-- essential to the bankruptcy process. they make certain the process is fair and impartial to those that come before the courts. it is also their job to ensure the bankruptcy courts effectively adjudicate parties' rights and their responsibilities. this bill is based on a

comprehensive study that's already been done by the judicial conference. the conference has assured us that its request comes only after taking steps to maximize all other alternatives to reduce judicial work loads. there are currently 352 bankruptcy judges, including 36 temporary judges. this legislation creates 13 new permanent bankruptcy judgeships and converts 22 of the existing temporary judgeships to permanent status. it also provides a five-year experience for two temporary judgeships. finally, this bill will not present any new cost for the taxpayers of the the increased costs of these judgeships are paid an increase in chapter 711 and chapter 13 bankruptcy filing fees. those that do business in the courts will be paying these extra burdens not the taxpayers. we need a bankruptcy system that has a sufficient number of judges to be able to manage the system's caseload and adjust

economical -- in a just, economical, and timely manner. this bill helps ensure we have such a system. i urge my colleagues to adopt this legislation. i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from texas reserves the balance of his time. the gentleman from tennessee. mr. cohen: i reserve my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves the balance of his time. the gentleman from texas. mr. poe: i continue to reserve. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from texas reserves time. the gentleman from tennessee. mr. cohen: i reserve for the purpose of closing after the gentleman from texas closes. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from texas is recognized. the gentleman from tennessee reserves. the gentleman is ready to close? mr. poe: i'm ready to close. i have no other speakers. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from texas is recognized. mr. poe: we have no other speakers. i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from texas yields the balance of his time of the the gentleman from tennessee. mr. cohen: i appreciate the bipartisanship we worked on this bill. i thank mr. poe and minority

leader, ranking member, mr. smith, and of course my chairman, john conyers, for their work on this bill and the staff has worked on it and the bankruptcy judicial conference. i would hope that we pass this bill and i call on my members to vote aye on h.r. 4506 and pass the bill. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from tennessee yields the balance of his time. the question is now will the house suspend the rules and pass h.r. 4506, as amended. so many as are in favor say aye. those opposed, no. mr. cohen: request the yeas and nays. the speaker pro tempore: in the opinion of the chair, 2/3 of those voting having responded in the affirmative -- the yeas and nays are requested. all those in favor of taking the 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 tennessee seek recognition? mr. cohen: mr. speaker, morph to suspend the rules and pass house resolution 1115. the speaker pro tempore: the clerk will report the title of the resolution. the clerk: house resolution 1115, resolution expressing appreciation for the profound dedication and public service of enrique "kiki" camarena, on the 25th anniversary of his death. the speaker pro tempore: pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from tennessee, mr. cohen, and the gentleman from texas, mr. poe, each will control 20 minutes. the chair now recognizes the gentleman from tennessee. mr. cohen: thank you, mr. speaker. i ask unanimous consent that all members may have five legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on this resolution under consideration. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, so ordered. mr. cohen: i yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from tennessee is recognized. mr. cohen: mr. speaker, house resolution 1115 expresses appreciation for the profound dedication of public service of enrique "kiki" camarena, on the 25th anniversary of his passing. february 7, 1985, special agent

kiki left the american council at guadalajara to meet his wife for lunch. as he walked to his truck, he was approached by five men who kidnapped him and sped away. he was found dead on march 5, 1985, after being tortured and brutally beaten by his captures. he was 37 years of age. survived by his wife and three children. enrique, daniel, and eric. during his 11 years with the d.e.a., he received two sustained superior performance awards. he also received the administrator's award of honest, the highest award granted by the drug enforcement agency. mr. camarena was born in 1947 in mexico. he graduated from high school in california in 1966. in 1968 he joined the u.s. marine corps and after serving two years he joined the police department as a criminal investigator in 1970. in may, 1973, he started

working as a narcotics investigator. stayed until 1974 and he joined the d.e.a. his first assignment with the d.e.a. was in california. in 1977 he was reassigned to the fresno district office in northern california. after working the fresno office, he was later assigned to guadalajara, mexico, for 4 1/2 years and worked undercover on the trail of the country's biggest marijuana and cocaine traffickers. before being kidnapped, kiki was extremely close to unlocking multibillion dollar drug pipeline. officer camarena gave his life in the fight against drug traffickers, after his death many people wanted to do something to remember him. soon after his death, people everywhere started wearing red ribbons to symbolize their commitment to help reduce demand for drugs in their community. the act took on national significance and grew into what is now known as red ribbon campaign. during red ribbon week kiki is

remembered as a man who wanted to make a difference in the war on drugs and his legacy lives on. in his honor and recognition of the 25th anniversary of his death, i urge my colleagues to join me in supporting house resolution 1115 and i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from tennessee reserves the balance of his time. the gentleman from texas. mr. poe: mr. speaker, i yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from texas is recognized, mr. poe. mr. poe: mr. speaker, it's with a heavy heart that i rise in support of house resolution 1115 honoring the legacy of enrique "kiki" camarena on the 25th anniversary of his murder. words are not sufficient to express the debt our country owes to him. and to his family. his life, selfless service, courage of conviction and dedication to protecting the american people will be remembered in our hearts and minds forever. 25 years ago agent camarena gave his life in the line of duty after he was abducted. he was tortured and he

eventually was murdered. agent camarena was working under cover as a d.e.a. special agent gaining valuable intelligence and evidence against mexican drug cartels. when he was kidnapped in broad daylight on the street in guadalajara, mexico it was believe he was tortured for two days and eventually he was bludgeoned to death. we honor his life, we mourn his death, and we renew our commitment to ensure that his legacy is not forgotten. when asked why he wanted to be a d.e.a. agent, special agent camarena replied even if i am only one person i can make a difference. thousands of individuals across our nation can attest to the difference he has made in their lives. every day and every night law enforcement officers across this nation go to work aware of the dangers that they face. these brave men and brave women put their lives at risk so the rest of us can sleep better at night and live safer lives. as we go about our daily lives, as we sleep in our safety of

our homes, these individuals fight a violence that threatens our neighborhoods, our communities, and lovered ones. and much that violence is drug related. i stand before the house today with heartfelt gratitude for every law enforcement officer who serves the communities throughout this country and especially for those who have given their lives in the line of duty for the rest of us. as we take a moment to pause and reflect on the who areoic life and tragic death of this individual, the drug cartels continue. they continue to wage war on our borders and threaten the safety of so many people. and they do so all in the name of money. yet they will soon come to learn that our pursuit of justice will not waiver and it will not weaken just because they continue their criminal enterprises north and south of our borders. to the family of special agent camarena we share in his grief and we will ensure his legacy

lives on. we will fight against the drug cartels and the border violence that they have caused. we want to thank this family for sharing with our conditiontry a man who truly is an american hero. -- country a man who truly is an american hero. to those who continue to pursue those who abducted and tortured the agent, we thank them and support them and we are committed to those individuals that we will not rest until the perpetrators are brought to just contiguous. -- justice and tried for their evil deeds. to our nation's law enforcement officers we thank them for risking their lives each day to protect our lives and the lives of our loved ones. their sacrifice and the sacrifices of their families shall always be remembered. and across our nation there are countless stories of men and women who have given their time, their resources, their lives to protect and defend america. although we each have only one life to live, special agent kiki camarena have shown us the difference that one individual can truly make.

although we remember special agent camarena's tragic death today, i'm encouraged by his life and the lives of so many who have dedicated themselves to public service. without the sacrifices of these brave men and women america will not be what we are today. you urge my colleagues to support this resolution and i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from texas reserves the balance of his time. without objection, the gentleman from georgia, mr. johnson, mr. control the time. the gentleman from georgia is recognized. mr. johnson: thank you, mr. speaker. we would reserve the balance of our time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from georgia reserves the balance of his time. the gentleman from texas. mr. poe: i yield to the gentleman from california, mr. hunter, three minutes, the sponsor of this legislation. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from california, mr. hunter, is recognized for three minutes. mr. hunter: i thank the gentleman from texas, great property your and judge in his own right. mr. speaker, we are all familiar with the dangerous duties undertaken by the men and women of the drug

enforcement administration. off times their accomplishments go unnoticed but these agents continue making significant contributions to the seemingly unending effort to protect our communities from drug crime and addiction. this is a responsibility the d.e.a. agent enrique "kiki" camarena took seriously over the course of his long career in law enforcement. it was 25 years ago this march that agent camarena's body was discovered after he was kidnapped by armed men in front of the u.s. consulate in guadalajara, mexico. he had been severely tortured by his captors. more than two dozen people, including mexican government officials, cartel leaders, and associates were convicted for his murder. still has memory has not been fore-- his memory has not been forgotten. this is a vivid reminder of the danger attributable to illegal drugs whether it's along our borders or within the homes of families facing the struggles of addiction.

today agent camarena is perhaps the best known hero of the war on drugs and his story continues to inspire millions of americans to lead drug-free lives. in fact, shortly after his death camarena clubs were launched throughout southern california. hundreds of club members wore red ribbons and pledged to lead drug-free lives in honor of him and others who gave their life for the same purpose. in 1985 club members presented a proclamation to first lady nancy reagan which brought the club national recognition and ultimately prompted thousands of schools, communities, and states to recognize red ribbon week now celebrated during the last week of october. in this anniversary of agent camerainea's -- camarena's death, let us take time to remember the public service of enrique "kiki" camarena on the 25th anniversary of his death. i'd like to offer my dee