restoring personal trust between the afghan leader of the u.s. leadership would be very important host: ambassador zalmay khalilzad, thank you for being with us. guest: a very nice to be with you, libby. host: we now go to the house of representatives but that is all for "washington journal" to date we will be back tomorrow morning at 7:00 a.m. eastern. [captioning performed by national captioning institute] [captions copyright national cable satellite corp. 2010] . speaker. the clerk: the speaker's room, washington, d.c., april 21, 2010. i hereby appoint the honorable ed pastor to act as speaker pro tempore on this day. signed, nancy pelosi, speaker of the house of representatives. the speaker pro tempore: the

prayer will be offered by our gast chaplain, his imminence, archbishop herman, apostolic church of america. the chaplain: almighty god, we seek your grace and wisdom in our lives and in our leaders that they may serve your people with truth and justice. remember your faithful servants, the armenian people, who have lived with the memory of the genocide of 1 1/2 million of their nation. we pray that such barbariety may never inflict upon any of your creatures. we give thanks for the blessings that you have bestowed upon the remnants of the armenian people who were given new life in the united states of america.

we thank you for helping us from the depths of despair into this land of liberty. bless america, the country of greatness and goodness. renew the values of our american heritage so that america will remain the country of truth, freedom, justice and peace. we stand before you and ask this in your name and for your glory. amen. the speaker pro tempore: 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 kentucky, congressman davis. mr. davis: please join me in the pledge.

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: without objection, the gentlelady from new york, congresswoman maloney, is recognized for one minute. mrs. maloney: mr. speaker, as a proud member of the congressional caucus on armenian issues and the representative of a large and vibrant community of armenian americans, i rise to welcome his imminence, archbishop in his offering of the opening prayer and join my colleagues this week in the sad commemoration of the armenian genocide. on this 95th anniversary of the genocide, i join with the chorus of voices that grows louder with each passing year. we will not allow the planned

elimination of an entire people to remain in the shadows of history. the armenian genocide must be acknowledged, studied and never ever allowed to happen again. the archbishop is the head of the armenian church in the united states, which is located in my district. as a spiritual shepherd of several hundred thousand armenian americans in the eastern united states, he plays a significant role in the life of the armenian commount. it is a great honor to welcome him today. thank you. the speaker pro tempore: the chair will entertain up to 15 further requests for one-minute speeches on each side of the aisle. for what purpose does the gentlelady from pennsylvania rise? >> to address the house for one minute. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, so ordered. ms. schwartz: physician assistants as a primary care provider has unnecessary delays in receiving home health services. medicare recognizes that nurse

practitioners and physician assistants diagnosis and care for patients, prescribe drugs for patients all in accordance with state law. when state laws excludes ordering home health care within the scope of practice of nurse practitioners, as pennsylvania does, medicare still requires a physician signature for referral and payment. it allows the nurse practitioners to place a senior in a nursing home but not for less expensive home health care does not make sense. this leads to costly delays. i urge my colleagues to join with me to fix this problem and to ensure that seniors get the care that they need in a appropriate and cost efficient setting. by co-sponsoring my bill, house bill 4993, the home health care planning and improvement act and make sure that seniors get the care they need in the right setting and i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady yields back the balance of her time. for what purpose does the

gentleman from kentucky rise? mr. davis: to address the house for one minute and to revise and extend my remarks. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, so ordered. mr. davis: last week u.s. district judge said that a day of prayer violates statute. this is another disappointing example of activist judges violating congressional intent and the values of our founders. john adams declared our constitution was made only for a moral and religious people. it is wholly inadequate to the government of any other. every year on the first thursday of may we gather as a people to pray as and acknowledge our people's needs. george washington said of all the dispositions and habit which lead the political prosperity, religion and morality is indispensible. labor should -- this ruling is not what our founders intended and does a disservice to our history as a religious nation. i call on attorney general eric holder to appeal this ruling. with that i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time.

for what purpose does the gentleman from california rise? >> mr. speaker, i ask unanimous consent to address the house for one minute. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, so ordered. mr. baca: we need financial mortgage reform. in 2008 our country witnessed the failure of some of the biggest and most interconnected companies in our economy. years of greed and irresponsible behavior allowed financial institutions to make casino bets with money of hardworking american families. i state with hardworking american families' money. last year the financial services committee in this chamber passed comprehensive set -- a reform that would prevent these abuses from happening again. this reform finally put the american consumer over the bottom lines of banks. it allows shareholders to have a say on the bonuses that executives receive regardless of performance. the time has come for members of both chambers to stop making false accusations and return to political games.

let's pass financial regulatory reform. it's time for change. i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. if you were the gentleman from texas rise? mr. poe: i ask permission to address the house for one minute. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, so ordered. mr. poe: mr. speaker, jamie lee jones was a 20-year-old and went to iraq as a civilian contractor. here's her story. after being in iraq just a few days, she was drugged and gang raped by fellow employees. she was held hostage in a cargo container for 24 hours without food or water. she was assaulted so badly that later she had to have reconstructive surgery. she convinced one of the people guarding her to let her borrow a cell phone. she called her dad and her dad called my office in texas. with the help of the state department, we helped immediately to rescue her and she was quickly brought back to america. but no one has been held accountable for these crimes. the rape kit and forensic evidence was compromised by people in iraq. and during this vimes' rights week, when a crime is committed

against them in a foreign country they should have justice. people like jamie lee jones deserve the protection of our law. it should reach in lands far away to hold perpetrators accountable for assaulting fellow americans in a time of war because justice is what we do in this country. and that's just the way it is. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. for what purpose does the gentleman from wisconsin rise? mr. kagen: to address the house for one minute. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, so ordered. mr. kagen: mr. speaker, all across northeast wisconsin everywhere i go people are asking me, who's side am i on? who's side are we on? isn't it time we finally began to work to solve these complex problems, to help rebuild our country, to rebuild our jobs, bring these jobs back home where they belong instead of sending them overseas? whose side are we really on? isn't it time we pursued each and every one of the crooks on wall street who took our money?

people in wisconsin want their money back, they want their jobs back and they will be asking the question, whose side are we on? well, let's work together, rebuild our families, communities and make certain that any bank, any bank or any investment firm that is too big to fail ceases to exist. let's break up the big banks on wall street, and i yield back my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. for what purpose does the gentleman from south carolina rise? mr. wilson: mr. speaker, i ask permission to address the house for one minute and to revise and extend my remarks. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, so ordered. mr. wilson: mr. speaker, yesterday the department of defense released the military report on iran. it is designed to provide congress and the white house an assessment of iran's current military capabilities and the regime's future military strategy. the report served as a stark reminder of the military and nuclear realities in the region. sadly, it is incomplete because it lacked information about funding provided by iran's military branches and also information about military doctrine.

the information that the report does include confirms that iran has efforts to hide its nuclear infrastructure. their support of nuclear terrorist surrogates and the terrifying missile that can hit america in less than five years. now is time for the administration and the congress to put forward an effective strategy to deal with iran. it is imperative that both parties work vigilantly with their allies around the world to make sure that iran does not continue down this dangerous road. in conclusion, god bless our troops and we will never forget september 11 and the war on terrorism. congratulations columbia governor and sam davis. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. for what purpose does the gentlelady from pennsylvania rise? mrs. dahlkemper: to address the house for one minute. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, so ordered. mrs. dahlkemper: mr. speaker, i rise today to congratulate the women of villa ria academy from erie, pennsylvania, my hometown, for their extraordinary basketball team on the class double-a state

basketball championship. on march 26, they sealed their state championship after defeating york catholic high school 52-44 at penn state university. more than 2,000 people filled the stands as the victors lived up to their name. the team was led by the seniors . they helped secure the back-to-back state championships. the coach steered this great team to victory and finished the season with a 28-2 victory. as a former basketball player, i'm so proud to offer a well-deserved congratulates to the victors on behalf of the u.s. house of representatives. i can't wait to see next year's three-peat. and i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady yields back her time. for what purpose does the gentleman from south carolina rise? >> to address the house for one minute and to revise and extend my remarks. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, so ordered. mr. brown: i rise to honor my

friend for his lasting commitment to our nation's military and veterans. after 27 years of active duty in the air force, general mick went back to charleston and served for the military affairs' committee. he was diagnosed with a.l.s. at that time disease was not noticed as a service-connected disorder. general mick worked with me to change v.a. regulation to make a.l.s. a presumptive disease. he also played an instrumental role. because of his valiant efforts, no veteran will ever have to fight for disability after they have been diagnosed with a.l.s. general mick also put service to our country and his fellow countrymen first and he will be greatly missed. and i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back the

balance of his time. for what purpose does the gentleman from north carolina rise? >> i ask permission to address the house for one minute. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, so ordered. mr. butterfield: mr. speaker, when i recently visited a restaurant in my rural district, a gentleman approached me that he was a republican and never voted for a democrat but he voted for president obama. he said that the president was standing up to greed, that he was standing up to wall street and corporate america. he felt that corporate greed is among the greatest challenges facing our nation, and he is absolutely correct. the first day president obama took office the country was at the brink of economic ruin, triggered by financial deregulation and banks that pursued reckless investments to produce quick profits. wall street was acting more like casinos than banks, taking big gambles and when they lost forcing the taxpayers to pay. they got rich. everyone else got squeezed. democrats have a solution. wall street doesn't like it, but we have a solution. we want transparency, we want

accountability, and we will not stop until that happens. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back his time. for what purpose does the gentleman from georgia rise? mr. gingrey: to address the house for one minute and to revise and extend. the speaker pro tempore: no objection, so ordered. mr. gingrey: mr. speaker, i come to the floor with a simple message. we can do better. just look around. what has been accomplished under the democratic leadership? a takeover of health care system otherwise known as obamacare which spends money we don't have without lowering the cost of health care. a cap and tax energy bill which would cost the average american family an additional $3,000 annually for their energy. and, of course, the failed stimulus legislation cost $861 billion that has yet to create a single nongovernment job, leaving the unemployment rate at 9.7%. now, the senate is considering a permanent bailout for wall street and they're pushing for

a european style value added tax on top of our current tax system. mr. speaker, the american people deserve better than they're currently getting and house republicans have a commonsense solution that will create jobs, lower the tax burden for american families and stop spending money that we don't have. and i yield back. . the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentlelady from california rise? mrs. capps: to address the house for one minute. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, so ordered. mrs. capps: mr. speaker, this week we celebrate earth day. since its inception following the tragic oil spill off santa barbara, earth day has become a call to action on behalf of the environment. as one who represents this coastline, one of the most beautiful and sensitive areas in america, i know that every day is earth day. but the important thing about this year's celebration is that it marks a turning point for our nation. under democratic leadership, our country is finally poised to begin addressing our long-standing energy issues. through the recovery act, for example, we have launched a

clean energy economy that's creating millions of jobs, reducing our dependence on dirty energy sources, and lowering energy costs for american families and businesses. now is the time to cease the unpress department -- seize the unprecedented opportunity before us. the clean energy legislation we pass in this chamber will be the legacy we leave for our children and grandchildren. to protect them and all who come after us. we must continue making these smart investments and meet the challenges of the 21st century. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady yield back her time. for what purpose does the gentleman from pennsylvania rise? mr. pitts: to address the house for one minute. revise and extend. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, so ordered. mr. pitts: mr. speaker, beginning in the fall of 2008, congress approved and the bush and obama administrations began to hand out taxpayer money freely to banks and eventually auto companies with little transparency and in some cases little hope that the money would be repaid. now the senate is set to consider legislation that will create a permanent culture of

bailouts on wall street. the legislation moves us away from sending failed companies into bankruptcy and toward government managed bailouts. there would be a different set of rules for the largest firms. rules that create a perverse incentive for these companies to take risk. rules that encourage low rates for the largest firms because of the implicit government guarantee. ultimately we would be creating a dozen new fannie and freddies not reforming a broken system of government oversight. i think the american people have had enough of bailouts. the bill creates an endless cycle of failure where wall street bankers are the only ones that come ahead. it should be stopped. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. for what purpose does the gentleman from washington rise? mr. inslee: to address the house for one minute. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, so ordered. mr. inslee: i come to the floor to speak against the significant injustice to both american workers and the american taxpayer. and that is a decision by the air force to extend the deadline

for offering bids for the air force's new imperative tanker, which has allowed an illegally subsidized competitor, which has now taken advantage of that to the disadvantage of american workers and the disadvantage of american taxpayers. it is inconceivable to me that we have extended this deadline to allow a competitor to offer a bid that will be illegally subsidized by the european governments. this travesty is allowed to happen, we could lose thousands of jobs, the taxpayers would have been suffering seeing these illegal subsidies and a great injustice will have been perpetrated. this cannot stand. we should continue to fight this grave injustice. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. for what purpose does the gentleman from louisiana rise? >> ask unanimous consent to address the house for one minute. revise and extend my remarks. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, so ordered. mr. boustany: mr. speaker, our country is on an unsustainable bath with trillion dollar defendants -- deficits annually, and an atmosphere of uncertainty as president obama and

congressional democrats have enacted $760 million in gross new tax increases since 2009. with more tax increases planned. it's no wonder that unemployment remains stubbornly high and economic growth sluggish. these policies are a threat to u.s. competitiveness. we need a commonsense policy to promote growth. we need to cut government spending, and adhere to a balanced budget. we need to increase u.s. exports by implementing the three free trade agreements that we have already negotiated. that way we show that america keeps its commitments and we need to lower the corporate tax rate so that our u.s. companies can compete against foreign competitors. these are commonsense policies that will lead to u.s. competitiveness, job growth, and economic growth. thank you, mr. speaker. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. for what purpose does the gentleman from texas rise? >> request permission to address the house for one minute. revise and extend my remarks.

the speaker pro tempore: without objection, so ordered. mr. green: mr. speaker, on april 21, 1836, 174 years ago today, texas forces led by general sam houston dealt the decisive blow to general antonio lopez santa ana and his government. several weeks after signing the texas declaration of independence in march of 1836, roughly 900 members of the texas army overpowered a much larger mexican army in surprise attack. some 700 mexican soldiers were killed and 730 captured while nine texans died. the texas army quickly and silently moved toward santa ana's cam camp. they were able to get very close because he was still pleased with his victory at thal mow and failed to post men to watch the texas actions. at close range, shells were unloaded at the army. the cannons were dwifts of the -- gifts from the people of cincinnati, ohio. texas soldiers followed the bombardment and yelled and shouted, remember the alamo,

remember goliad, stopping a few yards from mexican soldiers and opened fire in a surprise attack. the mexican soldiers were better trained. they were caught off guard. it was a bold attack in broad daylight. sks general sam houston, former member of this congress from tennessee, future president of the republic of texas, future u.s. senator and governor of texas, a shot at his ankle was shattered. he was captured that day and held prisoner and signed peace treaties to give texas the independence. the battle's moralized on the sampson river in our district in la port, texas. a panel on the side of the monument says it was one of the decisive battles in the world. it led to annexation into the mexican war, resulting in the acquisition by the united states of the states of texas, new mexico, arizona, nevada, california, utah, and parts of colorado. while -- wyoming, kansas, and

oklahoma. nearly one million square miles changed sovereignty. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman's time has expired. for what purpose does the gentleman from california rise? >> to address the house for one minute. revise and extend. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, so ordered. >> mr. speaker, i rise today in observance of the national day of silence. april 16 was the 14th year we have commemorated the national day of silence. a time when students across the country remain silent for the whole day to draw attention to discrimination toward their lgbt peers. every day students who are lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgendered, as well as those perceived to be lbgt are subjected to harassment, bullying, intimidation, and violence. these actions are incredibly harmful to students and they also damage our educational system. in addition to supporting the national day of silence, i'm also proud to be co-sponsor of h.r. 4530, the student nondiscrimination act.

this act is necessary because bullying and discrimination are the norm for so many lgbt young people. these youth face unique challenges in their physical and mental health. last weekend a group of constituents hosted a queer youth health summit in santa cruz, california. this group also works to identify mental and physical health needs and promote safe and healthy lifestyles for queer and questioning youth in the region. it's unfortunate a summit like this is necessary, but i commend these students for responding. so many lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender advocates were silent last friday. we in congress should never be. our job is to speak for those who cannot speak for themselves. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. for what purpose does the gentleman from arizona rise? >> to address the house for one minute. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. flake: april 6, 2010, marks the date our farm subsidies, these are programs that on a good day are out of step with

reality, took an unprecedented leap into the absurd. on that day the administration hatched an agreement on brazil trade litigation that includes the u.s. paying brazil $143.7 million a year for "technical assistance and capacity building." because our subsidies violate w.t.o. rules, we are now paying millions to subsidize bra sillian agriculture. -- brazilian agriculture. think about that for a minute. our subsidies for u.s. farmers are out of step with the w.t.o. what do we doll in response? we subsidize our trade partners elsewhere in the world. so your tax dollars are not only going to pay subsidies for u.s. agriculture, but now to pay subsidies for our trade partners in other countries. we have got to stop this, mr. speaker. it's congress' responsibility to reform our cotton program and our agriculture subsidies. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. for what purpose does the

gentleman from illinois rise? >> request permission to address the house for one minute. revise and extend u the speaker pro tempore: without objection, so ordered. mr. hare: i rise today in strong support of wall street reform. with eight million jobs lost at the hands of wall street tycoons recklessly gambling on the financial futures of our constituents, enough is enough. this democratic caucus has made great progress in pulling our economy back from the brink of disaster, yet the hard work remains. it's my hope that we in a bipartisan manner can see that reforming wall street is not a political issue, it's an issue that will shape the financial security of all americans and prevent future economic disasters. when we enact this bill, it will end bailouts by helping to ensure that taxpayers never again are on the hook for wall street's risky decisions. the it will protect families' retirement funds, college savings, home and business financial futures from unnecessary risk. protect consumers from predatory lending accuses, fine print and industry gimmicks. it will inject transparency and accountability into a financial

system that's run amuck. i say to opponents of this bill, enough is enough. it's time to vote in favor of main street all across this great country and against the wall street that's run roughshod over the future of too many american families. i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. for what purpose does the gentlelady from nevada rise? >> to address the house for one minute. revise and extend. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, so ordered. ms. titus: thank you, mr. speaker. two years ago our nation suffered one of the greatest economic meltdowns in history when the financial markets nearly collapsed and sent the country into the deepest recession in a generation. one that my state of nevada is still working to pull itself out of. the hardworking people of southern nevada have paid a steep price for the greed and dangerous underregulation of wall street. that create add foreclosure crisis result -- created a foreclosure crisis resulting in far too many families losing their homes. seniors lost their retirement nest eggs and parents lost their savings to pay for children to

go to college. it's time to ensure the proper safeguards are in place so we can prevent a crisis of this magnitude in the future. we must rein in wall street banks that gave their executives obscene bonuses while steering our economy into the ditch. we must close regulatory loopholes and strengthen oversight enforcement so that government agencies cannot fall asleep at the wheel. the house has already passed this important legislation that will permanently end taxpayer bailout and hold wall street accountable. i urge the senate to do so. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady yields back her time. for what purpose does the gentlelady from arizona rise? >> request permission to address the house for one minute. revise and extend. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, so ordered. mrs. kirkpatrick: mr. speaker, while we are beginning to see signs of recovery, hardworking families and small business owners are still continuing with the worst economic down turn in decades. creating jobs and helping to get arizona back on track remains my

top priority. washington can serve those goals by providing much needed tax relief for entrepreneurs. it will be the american people not the government alone who will get our economy moving again. this congress needs to support them by helping them keep more of their hard-earned money. that's why i fought for the largest middle class tax cut in american history. according to a report by citizens for tax justice, 99% of working arizonans benefited from that package on tax day. saving an average of over $1,000 each. tax relief is putting money back into our local economy, spurring job creation, and growth, i am proud to be standing up for this effort every step of the way. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady yields back her time. for what purpose does the gentleman from new york rise? >> i seek nuke to address the

house for one minute. revise and extend my remarks. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, so ordered. mr. arcuri: mr. speaker, i understand one of the biggest issues facing american families today is the cost of living in our economic future. i'm disappointed the health of our nation's financial institutions has come into question as a result of unscrupulous lending in mortgage practices preceded by years of inadequate regulation of the financial services industry. government led by republicans and democrats alike for too long have failed to hold them accountable and hardworking families across the country are paying the price. at the same time, i know that many local banks have not engaged in the risky and irresponsible lending practices that led to the economic meltdown we saw last year. the house passed reform bill is about cleaning up that irresponsibility and protecting consumers not about burdening local banks that play by the rules. i have witnessed firsthand the valuable impact that small and medium-sized community banks make on daily lives of new york families.

hoping them buy their first home, finance their small business, and send their children to college. in these tough economic times, it is critical that congress hold financial institutions to a higher standard while allowing local banks to be able to continue to invest in their communities. thank you, i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. . the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentlelady rise? >> to address the house for one minute. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, the gentlelady is recognized. >> i rise to pay tribute to the arizona region of hidta, this is the high intensity drug trafficking task force. it is to reduce drug trafficking in the areas of our nation is most impacted. this is done through a team effort. at the recent conference here in washington, d.c., the arizona hidta was honored for its interdiction successes and for the financial investigations. in 2009 the arizona region conducted more than 2,200 operations led by 22 federal, state, local and tribal law

enforcement agencies. the arizona region also competed -- completed a four-year investigation, which led to a $93 million settlement with western union, and the southwest border hidta, which includes arizona, was named the national hidta region of the year. the southwest hidta region has a drug trafficking corridor which 90% of the drugs that come into this country flow through. i commend those that are involved in this drug interdiction effort. thank you for helping us secure our border. with that i yield back my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady yields back the balance of her time. pursuant to clause 8 of rule 20, the chair will postpone further proceedings today on motions to suspend the rules on which a recorded vote or the yeas and nays are ordered, or on which the vote incurs objection under clause 6 of rule 20. record votes on postponed questions will be taken later. for what purpose does the gentleman from california seek recognition?

>> mr. speaker, i move to suspend the rules and pass the bill s. 1963 as amended. the speaker pro tempore: the clerk will report the title of the bill. the clerk: senate 1963 arranges act to amend title 38, united states code, to provide assistance to caregivers of veterans, to improve the provision of health care to veterans, and for other purposes. the speaker pro tempore: pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from california, mr. filner, and the gentleman from indiana, mr. buyer, each will control 20 minutes. the chair recognizes the gentleman from california. mr. filner: mr. speaker, i ask unanimous consent that all members may have five legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on s. 1963 as amended. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, so ordered. mr. filner: and i also ask unanimous consent to extend my remarks in the record and threw therein extraneous material notwithstanding the fact that it exceeds two pages and is estimated by the public printer to cost $2,533. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, notwithstanding. mr. filner: thank you, mr. speaker. i yield myself four minutes. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized for four minutes.

mr. filner: mr. speaker, when i became chairman of the committee of veterans' affairs, the v.a. was strained by the breaking point by years of chronic underfunding. we were unprepared to care for the hundreds of thousands of new veterans returning from iraq and afghanistan. it is simply our duty as a nation no matter where we stand on the war to put our men and women in harm's way under the care of our nation when they return. under the democratic leadership, congress has provided almost a 60% increase for v.a. medical care funding over the last three years, adding over $20 billion to the v.a. budget baseline. s. 1963 demonstrates america's commitment to the dedicated service members who have served in uniform and put front and center the health care needs of veterans and their families. it is our pledge to them that we have not forgotten the sacrifices they have made in defense of this country.

and we go in this bill to help caregivers of injured veterans, women veterans, rural veterans, homeless veterans and veterans with mental health issues. s. 1963 provides immediate support to the mothers, fathers, husbands and wives caring for warriors from the current conflicts as well as in previous conflict. today, we have the opportunity to recognize their tremendous sacrifice and share their heavy burden. the bill also expands and improves v.a. service members for women currently receiving v.a. health care and goes a step further by anticipating the expected increase of women warriors over the next five years. this bill seeks to build a v.a. health care system respectful of the unique medical needs of women veterans. s. 1963 also advances america's commitment to end veterans' homelessness. hundreds of thousands of veterans are at risk of homelessness because of poverty and the lack of support from family and friends. an increasing number of veterans in operations in

afghanistan and iraq are falling into this category, and we must be vigilant in providing support to this population. we expand the number of places where homeless vets may receive supportive services and for our veterans struggling without a roof over their heads, this small change in the law will make a big difference in their lives. the bill also includes key provisions to improve the health care provided to our rural veterans by authorizing stronger partnerships with community providers and the department of health and human services. these collaborations will allow v.a. offered health care options to service members living far from the nearest v.a. medical facility. in addition, we address the troubling reality of posttraumatic stress disorder and troubling incidents of suicide amongst the veteran population. the bill requires a much-needed and long-awaited study on veteran sue eyed and requires the v.a. to provide -- suicide and requires the v.a. to

provide counseling for those not able to have readjustment counseling. and it establishes a director of physician assistance services and creates a committee on care of veterans with traumatic brain injury. it requires the v.a. to provide health care for herbicide exposed vietnam veterans and veterans of the persian gulf war who have sufficient medical evidence to have a service-connected disability. this bill, mr. speaker, demands our immediate attention. we owe our veterans a great debt of gratitude, and this bill represents an understanding that the sacrifices of our veterans are shared amongst all americans. i urge all support s. 1963 as amended, and i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves the balance of his time. the gentleman from indiana. mr. buyer: thank you. i yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. buyer: mr. speaker, i rise

in support of s. 1963, as amended, the caregivers and veterans omnibus health services act of 2010. this bill represents a bipartisan effort on behalf of the house and senate and express my thanks to chairman filner, chairman akaka for their leadership and also thank chairman michaud and chairwoman brown in bringing this legislation forward. reflecting a spirit of compromise and cooperation, s. 1963 is composed of a number of bills from both sides of the aisle. it would provide increased access to care, better outreach and support for women veterans, rural veterans and homeless veterans. it also includes enhancements to the provisions in mental health care for recent veterans of iraq and afghanistan. i want to thank jerry moran for his bill, h.r. 3103, that was included to help v.a. move forward with a pilot program to enhance contract care authority for highly rural veterans. this pilot, which was enacted in the last congress, was mr.

moran's initiative. i want to thank john duncan from tennessee for his efforts to introduce h.r. 402. this bill would name the veterans' affairs outpatient clinic in knoxville, tennessee, the william talent. he served honorably in world war ii. s. 1963 would also establish a new all-encompassing system of support for family caregivers. as we all know, some veterans of iraq and afghanistan have been severely wounded and will be required a great -- and will require a great deal of care for the rest of their lives. in previous wars, these veterans would probably not have survived their wounds, but significant improvements in battlefield medicine, the medical logistics chain and the follow-up treatment have improved the survival rates for the most severely wounded combatants. family caregivers are more often than not at the core of

what sustains the treatment and recovery of a severely wounded or injured soldier. their commitment is strong and heart felt, yet it can be enormously challenging in a prolonged recovery. there are many struggles that family members may face when assuming this role, including job absences, lost income, travel and relocation costs, childcare concerns, exhaustion and emotional and psychological stress. many understandably become overwhelmed and eventually experience burnout. so there's a real problem and the question is how best to address this. i am concerned, however, about a provision in this bill that would establish an unprecedented some typen for certain family caregivers. i would have preferred to build upon and expand a veterans' affairs v.a. program known as aid and attendance. it is paid directly to veterans so they can obtain the needed services in their own homes.

the extent and types of services could be expanded. and last summer i proposed to do so in h.r. 3407, the severely injured veterans' affairs act of 2009. it would provide a 50% increase in compren sayings for catastrophically injured veterans who are -- comprehensive for catastrophically injured veterans. it is unclear how the caregiver stivene program in this bill will operate and how it will work in the current aide in attendance. additionally, mr. speaker, we lack a congressional budget office estimate of this compromise agreement. it appears that the democrat majority has not been obtaining c.b.o. cost estimates for discretionary bills, and we still do not have the official views of the administration on the compromised legislation. i am aware of their concerns, and i requested the administration to address them in writing on march 8, 2010,

and they were due on april 7. although we have not yet received them, it is my understanding that they are still in the concurrent process. based on legislative hearing testimony from last year, i believe the v.a. has concerns about the caregiver stifen as well as other things included in the bill. dr. cross, who is the deputy undersecretary of health, testified before the senate veterans' affairs committee. he stated, quote, this is in references to the caregivers provisions. quote, we are able to contract them with similar public and private agencies. the contractor trains and pays them and affords them liability protection and oversees the quality of care. this remeans the preferable arrangement as it does not divert v.a. from its primary mission of treating veterans and training clinicians. moreover, it does not put v.a. in position of how to tell family members how at risk of

losing their caregiver compensation they have to care for their loved ones, end quote. mr. speaker, it is unfortunate that the administration's concerns regarding the caregiver provision in this bill was not worked out because the bill as a whole does many good things for veterans. i hope this issue gets resolved with the administration, and i am pleased that legislation that i had sponsored, h.r. 1293, the disabled veterans home improvement and structural alteration grant increase act of 2009, is included in this bill. it would have them make modifications to a veteran's home, to enable the veteran to be cared for in their home rather than in hospital or an institutional setting. we should always be reminded that while veterans may spend only a short time in uniform, the wounds they carry home with them can last a lifetime and profoundly impact their daily lives.

i'd reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves the balance of his time. the gentleman from california. mr. filner: mr. speaker, the chairman of our health subcommittee, mr. michaud of maine, and his ranking member, mr. brown of south carolina, were the chief hard workers on this bill. we thank them all, and i recognize chairman michaud for 3 1/2 minutes. the speaker pro tempore: 3 1/2 minutes. the gentleman is recognized for 3 1/2 minutes. mr. michaud: thank you very much, mr. speaker. thank you very much, mr. chairman. i want to thank ranking member buyer for all of his hard work on the bill before us -- this bill before us today as well as my colleague, mr. brown, for working in a bipartisan manner throughout the years on veterans' affairs issues. i rise today in strong support of s. 1963, the caregivers and veterans omnibus health services act. this landmark bill reflects a strong commitment to family caregivers who are often underappreciated in their efforts to care for our wounded service members. we must recognize that family

caregivers in maine and throughout our country often put their lives on hold to care for our injured veterans and their duties, take a heavy toll on them financially, emotionally and physically. . our brave men rein women have come to rely on their spouses, parents, siblings, and close friends to be there with them. we owe it to these devoted caregivers to offer them the support they need. that's why this bill creates a robust supportive services program for caregivers. this includes counseling services, respite care to help relieve the heavy emotional and physical stress of caregivers. the bill also attempts to alleviate the financial difficulties facing eligible caregivers by providing a monthly financial stipend, as well as access to health care through the champ-va program. the bill also recognizes the importance of caregivers being by a veterans' side during every step of their medical treatment.

the bill authorizes the v.a. to pay lodging and other costs incurred by caregivers for accompanying veterans during medical appointments. in addition to addressing the needs of caregivers, this bill helps the v.a. deliver high quality health care to our rural veterans. the bill improves v.a. ability to recruit and retain qualified medical personnel. it addresses the barriers of long trips to medical appointments for providing reimbursement for air travel. the bill also creates a more robust health care infrastructure in our rural areas. it does this by supporting collaboration with other federal providers and fostering the v.a.'s ability to contract with community providers. i urge my colleagues to support this critical bill that supports caregivers and expands health care for our rural veterans. with that i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. the gentleman from indiana. mr. buyer: i defer.

the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from california. mr. filner: mr. speaker, i would yield -- before i yield to our speaker i just want to say in -- with gratitude on the part of our nation's veterans. in her 3 1/2 years as speaker and her years before that as minority leader, ms. pelosi focused like a laser on the needs of our veterans. we would not be here with this landmark bill were it not for our speaker who i yield one minute. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady is recognized. the speaker: thank you very much, mr. speaker. i thank the gentleman for yielding. i thank him for his leadership. i'm very pleased that today we have bipartisan support for this important legislation to benefit our veterans. i, too, join my colleagues in rising to honor the sacrifice and service of the greatest among us, the men and women of our armed forces. in the name of our safety they lay their lives on the line. in the name of our security they

fight our enemies far from home. in the name of our values, they serve as our nation's greatest ambassadors. as champions of america's families. each and every day our soldiers, sailors, airmen, and marines earn the respect of a grateful nation. as long as they continue the battle abroad, we must do everything in our power to support them here at home. i'd like to thank all of the members of congress on both sides of the aisle who worked so hard to strengthen the bill and to bring it to the floor today. again i want to commend chairman bob filner, chairman of the committee on foreign affairs, chairman mike michaud, health subcommittee on veterans' affairs, and chairwoman stephanie herseth sandlin, subcommittee on economic opportunity committee on veterans' affairs. i also want to recognize the hard work and commitment to those who have worn our nation's uniform by three key freshmen members of congress, congressman

tom perriello, kongwoman halvorson, congressman harry teague. both houses this has been a bipartisan effort and i commend ranking member buyer for his leadership. i know that everything there is an endless list of what we want to do for our veterans but we are very proud of senator byrd and the role he's played in the senate. thank you. the chair givers and veterans health services act is a landmark moment on the ongoing effort to give back to our veterans and their families. it's a tribute to their service in the words of paralyzed veterans of america, it will provide valuable benefit for veterans and their families. benefits they need, have earned, and to which they deserve. this legislation will support

family members and others who care for the disabled, ill, or youred -- injured veterans. it's very important to families and military families. our wounded soldiers, and their families have made a serious sacrifice for our country and this bill will bring them some relief. it will expand mental health services and health care access to veterans in rural areas. and prohibit co-pays for our most severely wounded warriors. this bill marks a step forward for the 1.8 million women in uniform, thank you chairwoman herseth sandlin, removing existing barriers to female veterans seeking medical care. in a sweeping change long overdue and with strong bipartisan support, i see my friend, congresswoman -- congressman henry brown, thank you, mr. brown, for your leadership as well, my friend.

and sweeping change long overdue we provide care for newborns for first time in history. today's vote is one in a series of actions taken by this congress to give back to america's veterans. our signature achievement remains our new g.i. bill, providing those who serve with full -- four-year college education. this is also transferable to a family member and also a new improvement we made was that if they -- service man or woman dies in combat, that this opportunity is provided for their children. or another family member. late last year again in a bipartisan way we celebrated the passage of the veterans health care budget reform and transparency act ensuring that the v.a. has timely and predictible funding and our veterans receive the high quality care they have earned. working to make sure that our

economic recovery truly benefits all americans, the american recovery and reinvestment act offered a tax credit for hiring veterans and a $250 payment to disabled veterans. just this month we passed the tricare affirmation act, stating exbliss itly that our health care reform legislation -- explicitly that our health care reform legislation will not impact the excellent health coverage our veterans and service members already receive. in the last three years we have given our troops a pay raise, help restore military readiness, and bolster the support for our military families. today we strengthen the benefits our men and women in uniform receive. mr. speaker, in the course of our meetings with the veteran certificate sliss organizations and families of men and women in uniform and our veterans, we have -- we hear directly from them what their needs are and try to establish their priorities and to make it a priority in allocating resources of our country.

in the course of those conversations, we have heard from the families that in the survey they took of their own membership, the blue star families, that they believe 94% of them thought that most americans did not have the current understanding of their need. of their needs. we promised them that in all that we do here we'll remove all doubt in anyone's mind among our military families that we understand their needs, especially if they present them in a prioritized way and will make them our priorities in the congress. every action we strive to live up to the commitment, to that commitment. just as the military on the battlefield has said, on the battlefield we'll leave no soldier behind. so, too, when they come home we will leave no veteran behind.

as the leaders of the american legion has stated, this legislation offers bold solutions to major challenges facing service members, veterans, and their families. on behalf of every american who wears the uniform, i urge my colleagues to vote yes on this bill. i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady yield back her time. the gentleman from indiana. mr. buyer: thank you. i would like to thank the speaker for her kind remarks and her support of the bill. and also i ask for your support, we have a problem we have to get worked out. and that deals with the widows, orr fans, and spina bifida program was left out of the health care bill we recently passed to ensure it's defined as minimum essential benefit. madam speaker, i hope for your support for this, the issue has been addressed in the senate. mr. akaka, the snaffed passed it, the bill is at the desk, but it has to originate in the

house. i ask for your support on this. the speaker:: thank you, mr. boyer. the chairman has this legislation as you may be aware and it is going through ways and means and we will be taking it up soon. but we look forward to working with you. and putting it together in a bipartisan way in the spirit that we owe our veterans. mr. buyer: thank you. the speaker: thank you, mr. buyer. and thank you for your leadership as well. mr. buyer: i now yield three minutes to the gentleman from south carolina, mr. brown. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized for three minutes. mr. broun: i thank the gentleman from indiana and something something for yielding me this time. i rise -- and south carolina for yielding me this time. i rise today in sprong support of s. 1963, the caregivers and veterans omnibus health services act of 2009. we have brought this legislation forward in order to continue the great progress made by the v.a.

toward providing the kind of health care veterans deserve and i'm proud to support it today. i think it's pretty evident as the speaker alluded to earlier that the v.a. committee, which i have had the privilege to serve 10 years, is always, we always leave our partisanship at the door when we enter that committee. i'm grateful mr. filner also continued in that same spirit when he became the chairman. at a time when our soldiers are overseas keeping us safe here at home, the v.a. is faced with a number of unique challenges. it must respond to the signature wounds of the wars in iraq and afghanistan. to soldiers returning home who live far from v.a. facilities, to the ever increasing number of women veterans, and to the families of veterans who cannot care for themselves, but it must also remain responsive to those whom it already serves. i believe this bill would accomplish this. when soldiers return home from war, unable to care for themselves, their families often

face difficult burdens. to help them help veterans, this bill would establish the comprehensive assistance program for caregivers. making caregivers eligible to receive education and training and technical support, counseling. to serve the rural veterans who may live long distances from v.a. facilities, this bill would make v.a. more flexible while increasing the efforts. v.a. would be allowed to partner with medicare and medicaid and department of health and human services and indian health services in demonstrating -- demonstration to expand care. the most common wounds have been posttraumatic stress disorder and traumatic brain injury. by expanding eligibility for readjustment downing at vet centers to any member of the armed forces who served and established a committee on care for veterans with t.b.i., the v.a. will become more responsive

to those transitioning back to civilian life. in closing, i want to thank chairman filner and ranking member buyer of the veterans' affairs committee and chairman michaud of the health subcommittee for their leadership in bringing this bill forward. i urge my colleagues to stand up for america's true heroes and help continue to make the v.a. world class care even better. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. the gentleman from california. mr. filner: mr. speaker, the chair of our economic opportunity subcommittee, she's been the prime mover behind the section of this bill dealing with our women veterans. i'd like to recognize chairwoman herseth sandlin for two minutes. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady is recognized for two minutes. ms. herseth sandlin: thank you, mr. speaker. i thank the gentleman from california for yielding. i rise today in strong support of s. 1963, the caregivers and veterans omnibus health services act of 2010. i want to thank our full committee chairman, mr. filner, our ranking member, mr. buyer,

and health subcommittee chairman michaud and ranking member brown for their leadership, for their strong support of this legislation which contains many important provisions related to caregiver support and rural health care health care. it also includes legislation i introduced, the women veterans health care improvement act. this act will provide significant enhancement to the health care available for women veterans. today women make up approximately 8% of veterans in the united states. and that percentage will continue to rise as more and more women answer the call to serve their country. with an increasing number of women seeking access to care within the v.a., the challenge of providing adequate health care services for women veterans is one the v.a. must master and i'm confident it can. this legislation addresses this challenge by taking several important steps to ensure adequate attention is given to women veterans and their health care program so that women can access the quality primary health care and the specialized services they deserve and earned. among its provisions this bill

improves the v.a. sexual trauma and posttraumatic stress disorder program to women by requiring the secretary of the v.a. to ensure all mental health professionals have been properly and consistently trained in the best methods and practices so women veterans feel secure in seeking treatment. . childcare is important. it tackles current barriers to care by authorizing a childcare pilot program and requiring the v.a. to carry out this program in at least three veteran service networks. we anticipate that this is to help veterans keep their appointments. the legislation also requires the v.a. to provide seven days of medical care for newborn children and women veterans representing an important policy update in the v.a. currently the v.a. has no provision to provide care for these treatments. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady's time has expired. ms. herseth sandlin: i ask all

my colleagues to support this legislation. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady's time has expired. the gentleman from indiana. mr. buyer: i yield two minutes to ms. ginny bright of florida. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady is recognized for two minutes. ms. brown-waite: i rise in support of s. 1963, the caregivers and veterans omnibus health services act of 2009. we need to provide the best support we can to our nation's veterans. with provisions for caregiver support, rural health improvement and mental health benefits, there are many reasons why i support this legislation. i could speak at length about these important and necessary benefits, however, in the interest of time i'd like to highlight one, health care for women veterans. while more and more women are joining the military, the v.a.'s health care system for women veterans have not kept pace. although approximately 14% of our troops are female, as a female veteran recently said in

an interview with "good housekeeping" magazine, it's like women are martians, abnormalities. only about half, even, have a guychologist on staff. this despite the fact that between 23% and 29% of all female veterans seeking medical care through the v.a. have reported experience sexual assault. is it any surprise, then, that the number of female veterans being treated for posttraumatic stress disorder rose from 1% to 19% in four years? my colleague, representative herseth sandlin, and i introduced h.r. 1211, the women veterans health improvement act. although the senate has not acted on our legislation, i'm happy to see some of the key provisions, like studying key

barriers for women receiving v.a. health care and developing a plan to improve that care for women veterans, both immediately and in the long term that it actually made it into this bill. i thank you, mr. speaker, 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 california. mr. filner: mr. speaker, the freshmen members of our committee added a new level of commitment and enthuse the gentleman from and have played a major part in this bill. i'd like to yield 1 1/2 minutes to one of those great freshmen, mrs. halvorson. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady is recognized for 1 1/2 minutes. mrs. halvorson: i rise for the veterans who can't. i rise today for the catastrophically injured veterans who have to battle their injuries and their rising health care costs. i rise today for those caregivers and dedicate -- who dedicate their lives to supporting our wounded warriors for our military families. i rise today to support s. 1963

and the two provisions in the bill that i'm proud to author. the first provision, h.r. 1335, would relieve the burden of costly co-payments from catastrophically disabled veterans who receive medical or nursing home care from the v.a. this was the first piece of legislation that i introduced when i came to congress because i knew that there are men and women who have served honorably that need our help. these are brave men and women who have sacrificed so much so that we can enjoy the freedoms that we have every day. these are men and women who struggle through their routines in life that we take for granted. and they should not have to struggle to make their co-pays. passing this measure into law would be a great way to show our support for our wounded warriors and to show that we are truly dedicated to making their lives better. however, it's not just our injured veterans who need our help. every day in districts across

our country, caregivers provide essential services to our veterans. when my stepson, jay, was injured in afghanistan and recuperating at walter reed, i spoke to so many of these families who just began their second battle, the battle to rehabilitate. so i urge my colleagues to support this and i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady's time has expired. the gentleman from indiana. mr. buyer: i defer to the chairman. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves the balance of his time. the gentleman from california. mr. filner: mr. speaker, i would yield a minute and a half to another one of our great freshmen, mr. pierriello from virginia. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized for a minute and a half. mr. pierriello: mr. speaker, today is a good day for america's veterans and their families. i rise in support of s. 1963, the caregivers and veterans omnibus health services act of 2009 that makes good on our national commitment to the veterans and their families, including those in our rural communities. i want to thank the chairs and the ranking members for putting

our veterans ahead of our partisan divides. taking care of our veterans means taking care of them when they are unable to take care of themselves. revolutionary advances in military medicine is increased chances of surviving catastrophic injury sustained in combat, but in many cases surviving a catastrophic injury is only the first step in the battle. recovering from such injuries requires a long-term commitment, not only from the virp, but also from those who love and care for them. once an injured veteran returns home from treatment at a d.o.d. or v.a. facility, it is often a spouse, mother, father or other loving family member who steps up to the challenge of providing ongoing care. and while this care is provided out of a sense of love, compassion and devotion, it oftentimes shift noose a full-time commitment requiring -- shifts into a full-time commitment requiring professional goals, commitments and obligations. to help better support family

caregivers, i introduced h.r. 2734, the health care for family caregivers act of 2009, a bill that will help provide much-needed assistance to those family caregivers facing the difficult decisions related to caring for a veteran confronting a catastrophic injury. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman's time has expired. mr. pierriello: i'm pleased this bill has included this and encourage the support. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman's time has expired. the gentleman from california. mr. filner: mr. teague from new mexico authored a provision in the bill and i yield him a minute. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized for a minute. mr. teague: i rise in support of s. 1963, which includes h.r. 2738, my bill to reimburse caregivers of disabled veterans for travel expenses to medical appointments. for those members of congress that represent vast rural districts with large veteran populations like mine, we know that this assistance has been

needed for far too long. mr. speaker, veterans throughout my district often volunteer their time to drive fellow veterans to medical appointments even though the drive can last over three or four hours. that means that veterans in silver city must leave their homes at 3:00 in the morning to make a trip to the only v.a. hospital in our state. it means that many of my constituents must dedicate entire days to travel from their homes in santa rosa to a medical visit that may only take a few minutes. this also means that the family of airmen michael malarsy, an airmen who was blinded by an i.e.d. would have to take time off work to travel to a v.a. medical center to see michael. and as the law currently stands, they must pay for that trip out of pocket whether they can afford it or not. mr. speaker, that's just plain wrong. but we can right that wrong today by passing this bill and provided our wounded warriors

and families with the help that they have earned and need. it is the very least we can do to repay the debt that we as a nation owe to our veterans and their courageous families. thank you, and i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back his time. the gentleman reserves. the gentleman from california. mr. filner: mr. speaker, another valued member of our committee, mr. cirrorodriguez of texas, authored important provisions in this bill and i'd recognize him for a minute and a half. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized for a minute and a half. mr. rodriguez: thank you, mr. speaker. our veterans deserve more. the proper care of veterans is our most fer vent duty to uphold. this bill advances the support that is needed to give to these particular veterans. with the coverage of our veterans and the extended caregiver support to their families. this bill makes improvement in the rural health program with the partnership of the department of health and human

services to expand rural areas and the department of veterans' affairs the flexibility it needs to contract mental health services to rural areas where there is no adequate v.a. facilities. this bill addresses the need for coordination between the departments and the key stake holders in the study to find solutions to the alarming suicide rates among our veterans and active duty forces and gives more resources to the department of veterans' affairs to address key areas such as veterans homelessness, women's health and strengthening their quality of assurance and other programs. additionally, this bill re-establishes the previously high successful health professionals education assistance scholarship program in the department of veterans' affairs. earlier this year i introduced h.r. 4166, a bill to bring back the successful program. i'm glad that this bill introduced my legislation, and i thank -- we also need to recognize our soldiers and thank them for their service.

we owe it -- each and every one of them, our wounded warriors and all veterans this particular bill for its passage. thank you very much. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. the gentleman from indiana reserves. the gentleman from california. mr. filner: mr. speaker, how much time does each side have? the speaker pro tempore: four minutes. mr. filner: mr. speaker, one of the great provisions of this bill is an incentive program to get doctors in certain specialties into the v.a., and the author of that scholarship program is ms. jackson lee of texas, and i'd recognize her for one minute. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady is recognized for one minute. ms. jackson lee: mr. chairman, i'm particularly grateful for your leadership and the ranking member. thank you for guiding me on this legislation. i rise to support h.r. 1963 -- s. 1963, the caregivers and veterans omnibus health services act, for the work it is giving to caregivers and dealing with suicide unfortunate tragedies that occur during our military.

this morning i was we the united states air force and the air force care program. i'm pleased this legislation includes h.r. 228, the blind veterans of america charter bid congress in 1958 which is exclusively dedicated to serving americans blind and visually impaired. there are approximately 160,000 legally blind veterans in the united states but approximately only 35,000 are currently enrolled in the veterans health administration services. it is estimated that there are over one million low-vision veterans in the united states, and incidents of blipedness among the total population of 26 million is expected to increase over 46% over the next few years. this is because of the most prevalent cause of blindness is age related and the average. this bill provides scholarship for training individuals, and i ask my colleagues to support it and thank you for including h.r. 228. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady's time has expired. the gentleman from indiana

reserves. the gentleman from california. mr. filner: mr. speaker this bill adds an important provision to the department of veterans' affairs. the author of that legislation is mr. hare of illinois. he was on our committee. we wish we had him back. we yield him a minute. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized for one minute. mr. hare: mr. speaker, this congress has the leadership of speaker pelosi and chairman filner. we increased funding for v.a. health care and making it more time timely, predictability and appropriate. the bill before us builds on our earlier victories to improve the quality of health care for our nation's veterans. mr. speaker, i'm particularly pleased that this veterans package includes the bill i introduced with congressman jerry moran to elevate the department of veterans' affairs' physician assistants to a full-time director. my bill would give 2,000 physician assistants employed at the v.a. for all primary care.

we can ensure that v.a. work force will continue to be integral component within the v.a. work system and they are able to provide the best care to veterans, particularly those in underserved america. mr. speaker, i ask that all support s. 1963, and i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. the gentleman from california. mr. filner: mr. speaker, the gentlelady from texas, ms. johnson, added an important provision with regard to retention and recruitment of the kind of professionals reneed in the v.a. i yield her one minute and thank her for her efforts. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady is recognized for one minute. ms. johnson: thank you very much, and let me thank the chair and the ranking member for this bill, and i rise in strong support of the bill, the caregivers and veterans omnibus health services act. it was our duty to ensure that our veterans who so courageously serve our country receive the medical support they deserve.

i dedicated my professional career as a nurse was spent with the veterans system. and -- they had four suicides from the psychiatric unit. one of the problems that they had was noncompetitiveness with nurse's salaries, so i introduced a bill to attempt to correct that, and this bill has been incorporated. i'm pleased that it is. it's also the senate companion bill. it increases the pay limitations for v.a. nurses from level five to level six. . and also increase special pay for nurse executives. it is my pleasure to present this because i know firsthand whoo it's like. thank you. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady yields back her time. the gentleman from indiana. mr. buyer: thank you. i yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized.

mr. buyer: mr. speaker, in exchange i just had a colloquy with the -- speaker pelosi with regard to her commitment to correct an error in the president's health package, i'd like to place that commitment in some context. since late july of last year, when the debate on the president's health care package started, i tried on multiple owe cailingses -- occasions that the care of our nation's veterans and their families receive from the department would be considered minimum essential coverage. so i did that during the markup in the subcommittee on health in the energy and commerce committee and at the full committee. my efforts included trying to obtain jurisdiction for the veterans' affairs committee on h.r. 3200 back in august of last year. in november during the floor debate on h.r. 3962, i again sought to obtain protections for our nation's veterans and their

families. at that time not only myself but also chairman filner we received assurances in writing from the chairman of the house ways and means committee, the chairman of the house energy and commerce committee, and the energy and labor committee that veterans and their families would be protected. i think this will be helpful to us, mr. filler, as your bill proceeds. -- mr. filner, as your bill proceeds. most recently the ranking member , buck mckeon, offered an amendment which would ensure benefits offered under tricare and department of veterans affairs programs would be considered minimum essential coverage. however our amendment was not allowed then under the rule. i made that appeal to the rules committee. this amendment was introduced then in the form of legislation, h.r. 4894, which then was referred to the energy and commerce committee. i then raised the issue again regarding the recently passed senate bill that it sought -- raised this issue because in

that recently senate passed health bill, it did not include some of the veterans programs in the definition of minimum essential coverage. unfortunately the bill did not mention, "the other veterans programs under chapter 17." so it sought -- it mentioned veterans programs but not the other veterans programs under chapter 17 of title 38, which includes widows, orphans, and dependents covered by the fifflian health medical program of the v.a. known as champ v.a. also it did not mention chapter 18 which includes the spina bifida program of the children of korea and vet ram veterans -- vietnam veterans as a result of their parents' exposure to agent orange. i brought up that issue and even when chairman skelton recognized that the senate health bill mentioned tricare for life but did not mention tricare, he immediately brought a bill to the floor and it was considered.

i tried to amend that bill, tried to get it withdrawn. at that time i received a commitment from the chairman of the house ways and means committee that he would work with us to get that corrected. i even raised the issue during the markup of the president's health bill itself on the floor. i know the v.f.w. was very concerned along with the american legion. as i raised these concerns that this -- bill had a large error, i was marginalized. i was marginalized by some in the house to said those issues, they are not real. even the white house issued a press release along with the secretary of veterans' affairs that said that it was unfounded. well, it is founded. it's a problem that we have to fix. senator akaka passed a bill to protect the veterans. it passed on unanimous consent. it's currently at the speaker's

desk. however the parliamentarian has ruled it's a revenue bill. otherwise i would immediately call it forward. so what has happened? a little magic dust again. i appreciate that the chairman has taken this issue, that he has recognized there is an error that needs to be corrected. i'm deeply appreciative so does the speaker. she just exercised her commitment to correct the error in the bill. and so chairman filner has taken the akaka bill and taken that language, introduced his own bill, and it's been referred to the ways and means committee. i have written a letter as a follow-up. the colloquy i then had with chairman levin of the house ways and means committee, and i asked them to expedite mr. filner's bill and that it be brought to the floor so that we can correct this error in the president's health bill so that we may cover the widows and/or fans and the -- and/or fanns -- and orphans.

that would correct the error and i think that needs to be done. i hoped that mr. filner's bill would have included in the bill which we are presently considering, that would have cleaned this up now. but that didn't occur. every opportunity i have taken to try to correct this error and for whatever reason it just doesn't get done. it needs to be done. i think it was an error in the drafting. no one intended for widows and orr fans -- orphans be left out. i believe it was unintentional. it is a real issue and we need to correct it. so i'm hopeful that's going to do that. i want to thank the chairman for his leadership to correct that error. i would ask my colleagues to pass the bill that's before us and i want to thank the staff on both sides of the aisle for all their efforts in the bill. with that i yield back my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. the gentleman from california. mr. filner: i yield myself the balance of our time.

the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. filner: i want to return the debate to the bill under consideration. this is a landmark bill. it gives finally some help to the caregivers of wounded warriors. family members who have to perhaps give up their jobs and spend almost full-time with their loved one. we go to the issue of women veterans, a rising percentage of what was always a male institution, and we have to change the culture there in the v.a. we help our homeless veterans. we help those who are in rural areas. and we provide more money for mental health care of all of our nation's veterans. this is an important bill. i urge unanimous approval. and i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the question is, will the house suspend the rules and pass senate 1963, as amended. so many as are in favor say aye. those opposed, no. in the opinion of the chair, 2/3 of those voting having responded in the affirmative, the rules

are suspended, the bill is passed, and without objection the motion to reconsider -- the gentleman from california. mr. filner: on that i demand 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 proceedings on this motion will be postponed. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from massachusetts seek

recognition? >> i move to suspend the rules and agree to house resolution 1216. the speaker pro tempore: the clerk will report the title of the resolution. the clerk: house resolution 1216, resolution congratulating reverend daniel p. coughlin on his 10th year of service as chaplain of the house of representatives. the speaker pro tempore: pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from massachusetts, mr. capuano, and the gentleman from california, mr. lungren, each will control 20 minutes. the chair recognizes the gentleman from massachusetts. mr. capuano: 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 to house resolution 1216. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, so ordered. mr. capuano: mr. speaker, i yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. capuano: mr. speaker, this resolution recognizes the reverend daniel coughlin, come on up, we want to see you. who is the reverend, the chaplain of this house. reverend coughlin was sworn in the 59th chaplain of the house of representatives on march 23,

in the year 2000. the passing of that date this year marked a decade of spiritual counseling and prayer to both members and staff. he follows in the tradition in this house since may 1, 1789, when reverend william lynn was elected chaplain of the house. i urge all members to support this resolution and support father coughlin. i would like to add myself that i first of all i would like to mention that father coughlin is the first roman catholic to serve this house. and is not necessarily the best roman catholic in the world. i will tell you that i have the deepest appreciation for what father coughlin has done for this house and both our chaplain and also as a friend in service to this country. i have had many occasions to have personal discussions with him and i will tell you in my personal opinion that if more of our religious leaders had the same demeanor, the same personality, the same open

heartedness, the same attempt to understand the differences between us, and the same obvious willingness to forgive our differences and our difficulties, i think this world will be a much better place. i will tell you that i not just want to congratulate him on his 10 years i also want to personally thank him for the many services rendered to so many members of this house and the ability to stand in such an esteemed position and earn the respect of the members here. with that i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves the balance of his time. the gentleman from california. mr. lungren: thank you very much, mr. speaker. i yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. lungren: mr. speaker, i rise today to join others to express our support for house resolution 1216, congratulating our chaplain, reverend daniel coughlin, on his 10th year of distinguished service in the united states house of representatives. i think the only thing father coughlin is going to be upset about is we are going to reveal

his age here on the floor today. since the very first congress, members of the house have been fitted from the services of chaplains and ministers. throughout history they have helped all of us, the individuals serving in the congress, helped us navigate our responsibilities to the american people, aiding us in our quest to integrate faith and reason in our execution of the law. as has been mentioned, father coughlin is the first roman catholic house chaplain. following after the reverend james ford. father coughlin has diligently, humbly, compassionately, and intellectually served this house, its members, our families, and this nation. born during the great depression, father coughlin has both a prestigious record and one that demonstrates his deep desire to heal a broken society. a graduate of saint mary of the lake university in illinois, he was ordained for the arch diecies of chicago in the spring of 1960. in addition to serving as a

pastor and director in various offices within the chicago diocese, father coughlin has studied world religions, lived with monks, worked with the missionaries of charity in calcutta, and served as scholar in residence at the north american college in rome. we won't ask him which he enjoyed the most and whether it was more difficult working among the members of congress or living with the monks. as a matter of fact i recall that no one has ever compared us to the monks. in march, 2000, he was sworn in during the 106th congress as the 59th chaplain of the united states house of representatives. mr. speaker, as you can see father coughlin has brought a wealth of experience, education, and discernment to this house. we have all benefited from his wisdom, his patience, and kindness. we are right to honor the 10 years of service that father

coughlin has given us thus far and i believe that we all wish him many more days with us as we deliberate in the people's body of this self-governing republic. there is no doubt we need his help. i thank the sponsor of the resolution, congressman lipinski, and i thank the chairman of our subcommittee for bringing this resolution to the floor. i would urge my colleagues to vote in support ever this resolution. -- of this resolution. hopefully we'll get a unanimous vote. thank you, mr. speaker. i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves the balance of his time. the gentleman from massachusetts. mr. capuano: thank you, mr. speaker. i would like to yield four minutes to my friend, the gentleman from michigan. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized for four minutes. mr. stupak: thank you. i thank the gentleman for yielding. it's my honor to honor father coughlin in his 50th year in the

priest hooth and 10 years as the house chaplain. he was honored by the archdiocese of chicago. i'm pleased to join as a co-sponsor with mr. lipinski and the rest of my colleagues not house to recognize father coughlin on this achievement. . father daniel coughlin is the first roman catholic chaplain since it was created in 1774. he was ordained for the archdiocese of chicago on may 3, 1960, and for the next five years served as an associate pastor for st. reclaiming my time on parish in mount prospect, illinois, before becoming an associate pastor of chicago's holy named cathedral. in 1969 he was appointed as the first director of the archdiocese office of for divine worship. he took a year-long sabbatical, as my colleagues said, in which

he went to the trappist amongst in kentucky and served as a colleague at north american college in vatican city, rome. following his sabbatical, father coughlin served as pastor of st. xavier parish. father coughlin worked as vicar under cardinal bernardin and cardinal george, a position he served when he became house chaplain. one of the names that cardinal george kept mentioning was father coughlin. the first interview on march 13, 2000, father coughlin was sworn in just 10 days later. just as there were those who questioned whether president kennedy as the nation's first catholic president could govern without forcing his kaat thol

simple on the country, there was a question whether a catholic chaplain could serve the house. he has proved through his council and staff that those concerns were and are unfounded. many have benefit from his ecumenical approach as house chaplain. father coughlin goes beyond the requirements of house chaplain to make sure the spiritual needs of all members, regardless of their faith, are met. in addition to the members of this chamber, father coughlin has provided support to many countless members, families during their time of need. in fact, right after father coughlin was sworn in as the house chaplain, unfortunately, i lost my son and father coughlin, who didn't know me or my son that well, certainly provided great comfort to us in a great time of distress for us. and a few years ago, my chief of staff's mother was battling cancer. father coughlin not only kept scott and his mother, president, in his prayers, but

went i don't have -- pat, in his prayers, but went above and beyond that. neither of them catholic, the gesture from father coughlin meant a great deal to pat in her final days and still means a great deal to scott yet to this day. he's provided inciteful counsel . he's provided spiritual guidance to those who sought it as they grabbled with some of the biggest issues facing our country. therefore, i'm pleased to join my colleagues today in supporting this resolution, to honor the contributions and service to father daniel coughlin as house chaplain, as a spiritual leader, and congratulate him in his 50 years to the church and the family members who make up the chump. thank you. i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. the gentleman from california. mr. lungren: mr. speaker, now it's my pleasure to yield five minutes to the gentleman from wisconsin, the distinguished

episcopalian member of this house, who is also a heartfelt friend and admirer of father coughlin. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized for five minutes. mr. sensenbrenner: i thank the gentleman for yielding and i rise in support of this resolution. a lot of times people come to members of congress saying, why do you need to have a chaplain? and i tell them that we need to have a chaplain here because of the tremendous pressures that are put on members of congress and their families. whether it's politically, whether it's spiritually, whether if we have family crises and things like that. and in order to keep members of congress grounded so that they can better discharming their duties, we need to have someone to talk to and to counsel us from a spiritual standpoint. father dan coughlin has done that for the last 10 years. he's the first roman catholic priest who has been named as a chaplain of the house of representatives, and there is a lot of chatter about that at

the time, but i would just remind everybody that most of his predecessors as chaplain were ordained in specific non-roman catholic denominations and they had the same job in dealing with members of all faiths and sometimes even no faith at all and their families when times of crisis came. whether it be a personal crisis or a political crisis. and i think that in the last 10 years, a tribute to father coughlin's immense talents were -- is the fact that he is umplely respected in this house of representatives and beyond -- universally respected in this house of representatives and beyond. i say that i am a better person for having known father coughlin and have been counseled by him. father coughlin also is respected in his home diocese in chicago. last saturday my wife, cheryl, and i accepted his invitation

to join him and others at a mass celebrating the 50th anniversary of his ordination to the priesthood. there were many priests celebrating with him. the church was filled, and it was an extremely moving demonstration of the respect that father coughlin has both with his colleagues as priests in chicago, as well as the way that they did show to fill up the chapel it the archbishop quigley center. cardinal george, who is father coughlin's ecclesiastical boss, showed up and i think his presence there is also a tribute to the fact that father coughlin has done a very, very done in chicago before he was plucked by former speaker hastert to become our chaplain of the house of representatives.

you know, all that being said, this house is in father coughlin's debt for the work that he has done with us as an institution, has done with us as individuals regardless of what our faith is, and has done with our families in helping keep our personal lives as well as our official lives in a proper perspective. we are much in debt to father coughlin for that, and i hope he is with us for many more years rather than days to come. having said all of that, i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. the gentleman from massachusetts. mr. capuano: i would like to yield to the author of the legislation, mr. lipinski, for three minutes. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized for three minutes.

mr. lipinski: mr. speaker, i rise today in strong support of this resolution, congratulating and thanking reverend daniel coughlin for his 10 years of service as chaplain of the house of representatives. for the past decade, father coughlin has admirably fulfilled his doubties as chaplain, blessing this chamber for his thoughtful and eloquent prayers, conducting spiritual exercises, and most importantly, for theifying members, their families -- for theifying members, their families and their staff with his wise and generous counsel. march 23 marked the 10th anniversary of the swearing in as the 59th chaplain of the house of representatives. inand most importantly, as some of my colleagues have mentioned, the first catholic to hold this position. if you look back today at father coughlin, assumed office, pope john paul ii was visiting israel for the first

time, gas was under $2 a gallon, and a certain attorney from the south side of chicago was the newspapers reporting on his bid unsuccessfully to join this body. it was indeed a long time ago and a lot has changed in those 10 years, but through it all father coughlin, having responded to the demands of history, tradition and faith with great devotion. as many residents of my district in chicago region know, father coughlin's service dates back far beyond what he's rendered here over the past decade. in fact, just this past saturday, as representative sensenbrenner was just mentioning, i also had the opportunity with my wife, judy, to be a part of the celebration of father coughlin's 50th anniversary as a catholic priest. father coughlin grew up on

north side chicago and knew from a young age he'd become a priest. he received a degree from loyola university. he's a parish priest before he was named first director for the divine worship in 1969. his time during his year-long sabbatical, spending five months at the trappist monastery in kentucky, serving as scholar and resident of north american college at vatican city, really shows the breath and the depth of father coughlin's abilities. upon his return, he spent five years as pastor at st. francis xavier parish in lagrange in my district. -- la grange in my district. i know he's still much beloved at his parish in st. francis. i hear it very often from many of my constituents and friends. following this he became vicar for priest at the archdiocese

in chicago. after four decades of service, he was pointed as house chaplain -- mr. capuano: i yield one minute. mr. lipinski: father coughlin was appointed house chaplain for former speaker, dennis hastert, on a recommendation of cardinal francis george. announcing his joyce, former speaker hastert predicted that daniel coughlin would bring to the house a caring and healing heart. this past 10 years has shown that he was undoubtedly correct. i know this from my own time in the house having seen and experienced this. my own experience with father coughlin range from the opportunity i had with him five years ago this week in rome to be a part of the inaugural of pope benedict xvi. and also in many conversations i had with father coughlin, on what's currently happening in father, including how his

mother and her chicago cubs are doing. i think this connection, being a catholic from chicago, has really especially made our relationship close over these five-plus years i have been in the house. mr. speaker, father coughlin's devotion to his faith and spiritual welfare to fellow men and women is an inspiration to everyone. i urge my colleagues to join me in supporting this resolution. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from california. mr. lungren: mr. speaker, at this time i'd like to yield three minutes to the gentleman from nebraska, mr. fortenberry. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized for three minutes. mr. fortenberry: thank you, mr. speaker. i'm glad to see that you have been able to join us and thank you for the time. mr. speaker, i'm glad to pay tribute to our chaplain, father dan coughlin, whom we honor today in his 10th year of service as house chaplain and as its 59th chaplain. on this occasion i wish to express my personal deep appreciation for father

coughlin's steadfast support and wise counsel. public servants in its essence demands much for the future of our country. it presents many weighty challenges that call upon members of congress to live out the transcended principles that has the character of our great republic. father dan works tirelessly to focus our attention on the values that actually do unite us, at a time when so many forces seek to divide us. he challenges us to animate our drive for truth with compassion and to for theify our quest for compassion with -- for theify our quest for compassion with truth. members have come to rely on his insight, his openness, his unique ability to lead people of all faith traditions to thought-provoking introspecs, based upon a lifetime understanding the profound motivations of the human heart.

called upon so often to help us and our families shoulder the burdens of state at times in our history and particularly given the challenging time in the history of our world now. father coughlin exemplifies what it means to be a selfless servant and a true peacemaker. we are indeed fortunate for the grace of his presence among us and it is an honor and privilege to acknowledge his 10 years of service to this institution. mr. speaker, i would like to close by reading an excerpt of the prayer that father coughlin delivered on september 12, 2001, which i do believe remains as relevant today as it was then. send forth your holy spirit, lord, upon all members of congress, the president and all government leaders across this nation. free them of fear, any prejudice whatsoever, remove all doubt and confusion from

their minds. with clear insight which comes from you and you alone, reveal all that is unholy and renew the desire of your people to live lives of deepening faith, unbounding commitment and lasting freedom here where liberty has made her home. we place our trust in you now and forever. amen. . thank you for your service. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from massachusetts. mr. cap pano: i would like to recognize the speaker of the house, ms. pelosi, for one minute. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady is recognized for one minute. the speaker: thank you very much, mr. speaker. i thank the gentleman for yielding. and thank him and mr. lungren for bringing this important resolution to the floor. it is indeed a joy for us to salute our friend, our chaplain, but our friend, father coughlin.

how rarely and -- i'm rarely in awe of everybody's opportunities in the speaker of the house. but when mr. sensenbrenner said he and his wife were present at the 50th anniversary of father's ordination as a priest, i was frankly jealous. what a great honor for you to be there. what a great honor for father coughlin you were there. and mr. will pin i ask, the maker of this motion, he was there as well. -- and mr. lipinski, the maker of this motion, he was there as well. it was a reflection of the esteem that we all have for father coughlin in this house. father coughlin has told me with great pride, not usually a proud man, usually a humble man, but great pride that 35 priests concelebrated the mass that celebrated father coughlin's 50th anniversary of the celebration. how proud we all are of you. but the proudest person in the world is father's mother,

lucille, 95 years old. to see her precious son, 50 years a priest of the church. for 10 years the chaplain of this house of representatives. the first catholic. that's really a remarkable achievement. every day of those 10 years when father has opened the house with a prayer, we have all listened attentively because we know that we will be guided well. that he will be our anchor. he will inspire us with words that reflect the values of faith and country. his particular strength, i believe, springs from a sense of humility that he conveys. after his ordination, he spent time in the monastery in kentucky. building strength.

and his religion and his faith. he spent time working among the poor in calcutta, indiana. again living his faith. st. francis of acycy, the patron saint of my city of san francisco has said preach the gospel, sometimes use words. using words or deeds, father coughlin has been preaching the gospel for these many decades. we have been blessed that his path has crossed ours in this congress. every sunday in catholic churches, i know other christian churches as well, we hear the words, do this in memory of me. the words of christ. at the last supper. but i view it as not just about doing what happened at that last supper but doing the good works that christ performed here and

set as an example for us. and every day in saying the mass father coughlin does this in memory of christ, but beyond the mass in his personal guidance to us and his work among the poor in india and his prayerfulness in the monastery in kentucky and his stint, is that the word, stint, father at vatican city? his stay in vatican city, his enrichment of his faith became more intense. so we are all grateful to dennis hastert as speaker of the house and the committee that works with him to make the choice of a new -- what would be a new chaplain for us 10 years ago. we were blessed that father coughlin had worked with cardinal bern canned bsh -- bern

canned -- bernard in chicago and he was recommended to our former speaker who was from illinois and was well-known to the people of chicago that connection is the connection that has blessed all of our lives. so as we honor his 10 years of service to the congress, that is a small number of years -- it's a long time to be in congress and to serve as chaplain. he has seen us through the dark and through the bright. he has helped us personally and he has helped us understand our responsibilities of -- to god's creation and he has always understood his generosity of spirit has given him an understanding so that when he speaks to any of us we know that we are hearing words of wisdom, words of values, words that are

-- that recognize our responsibilities to this great nation as elected officials. he knows to render unto caesar and to render unto god. we could not be better served. so it is with great joy i join our colleagues, some little regret they had not placed me in a situation where i could be where mr. sensenbrenner and his wife cheryl were last weekend and mr. lipinski and 35 concelebrants of the mass to celebrate the 50th anniversary -- how could it be 50 years, father? how could it be -- congresswoman eshoo and i were just talking about when we all went together in a bipartisan delegation to rome for the funeral of pope john paul and what a moving experience that was. and what force you were for all of us to have us see -- the role

that his holiness played. i just want to mention, former staff person to john boehner, for whom john paul ii was a hero as he was a personal hero to many of us, but the guide you were to us to that funeral, to that liturgy, to that transition is something that we will never forget. so for this and for every reason, every single day that we serve, we thank you. everyone who cares about the success of our nation and our ability to work together is deeply indebted to you. thank you. god has certainly blessed america with your service to this house and to our country. we love you. thank you. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady yields back her time. the gentleman from california. mr. lungren: might i inquire

whether the gentleman from -- whether the gentleman has more speakers? i'll reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves the balance of his time. the gentleman from massachusetts. mr. capuano: i would like to recognize the gentlewoman from california for four minutes. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady is recognized for four minutes. ms. eshoo: thank you, mr. speaker. i thank mr. capuano and the authors of this resolution honoring our chaplain, father daniel coughlin. when i think of father coughlin coming to the house, i think of the moment 10 years ago when the previous -- our previous chaplain had retired and the speaker and the minority leader appointed a committee to come up with a recommendation. there was some turmoil. that was a part of that. but i have always believed that

the spirit's hand was in this. and who came forward but father coughlin from chicago. everyone has spoke en-- spoken about what he did before he came here, but essentially father coughlin was a parish priest. and so from all of the experience that he had in tending that flock, he came to tend a new one. and that is the united states house of representatives. and tend the flock he has. as mr. sensenbrenner said, there were many constituents that have asked why does the united states house of representatives need a chaplain? look up above the speaker's chair, it says, in god we trust. but many times what happens to human beings really shakes that trust. and so the chaplain of the house is the one that tends to each

one. how important that is in the -- not only the dark times, the dark periods in individuals' lives where they need the spiritual guidance, the support, the love, the quiet time, the trust with someone that will never break that trust. that's what father coughlin has done on an individual basis with members throughout the house. it matters not as was said before what faith, background any member comes from. and even if they don't have any faith background. that guidance feeds the soul. it helps to heal each person here. it has gone through something traumatic in order to resume the public duties that are filled with burdens and bledings -- blessings as members of congress. but there are national times of stress and burdens and he has

been with us throughout those times as well. 50 years as a priest. i can't help but think of the words that are said at ordination, thou art a priest forever. and 50 years, what a great blessing and even greater blessing for your mother, father coughlin, to be present when you were ordained, throughout your priest hood, and 50 years -- priesthood, and 50 years, 10 years of that priesthood here with the united states house of representatives. we honor you and we thank you for it. as a roman catholic, i want you to know that you are special source of pride. but that pride i think is really felt by the entire house. thank you for your quiet faith, for your steely faith, for the

prayers that you offer here that when each one of us takes those to heart, it's a road map. it's a road map because it is faith that calls us to everything that we do in life. and there is today in 2010 in the 21st century those words of faith are our reality. and it calls us to do better for our country and people around the world. so god bless you and thank you for your 50 years and your 10 sterling years here. thank you. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady yields back her time. the gentleman from california. mr. lungren: mr. speaker, i yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. lungren: mr. speaker, it is somewhat ironic that we are recognizing father coughlin's service to our nation and to this house as the chaplain of the house of representatives in the same week that a federal judge has instructed us that the

national day of prayer is somehow unconstitutional. i look and i see, mr. speaker, over your head the words "in god we trust." the national motto. which indicates that one does not have to be a person of faith to be an american citizen, but the idea of the width of the individual and the idea of the rights of the individual came from god and not from some monarch is essential to the understanding of the beginnings of this republic. and from the beginnings of this republic we have had a chaplain ministering to the needs of the members. it is not a new idea or novel idea. it is an idea that is firmly entrenched in the tradition of this institution and this country. and father coughlin has been a great example of that tradition and we hope he continues. i might say that he ministers to all of us no matter what party we are a member.

but i sort of enjoy the fact that he ministers to those of us on this side since i found myself in the minority on most of the years i have served here and therefore by definition the underdog, and so when i met father coughlin's great mother who is dedicated to the great underdog of all time, the chicago cubs, i felt some kinship. i thought it interesting just a couple years ago when father told me that his mother in her 90's still serves as an usher at wrigley field. but to show you the ability that father has to take a situation that may be fraught with some peril and give guidance, he told me that he finally convinced his mother that she should not be ushering both sides of a double-header. so that we do understand that she now goes home after the first game of a double-header at wrigley field. it is that type of pragmatic

guidance combined with great spiritual principles that makes him such a great friend to all of us here in the house of representatives and allows us to do our job with a little more civility than we otherwise would, understanding that while what we do is important maybe we are not that important even though we might be from time to time in our own minds. he reminds us of transkendant values and helps us through very difficult days with the objective of helping us to do the people's business here in the house of representatives. it is a pleasure and a privilege for me to serve in the house of representatives. it is a privilege and pleasure for me to have the friendship of father coughlin and the assistance of father coughlin as he davis that to all of us -- as he gives that to all of us who serve here. i hope all members would join us in supporting house resolution 1216. with that i yield back the balance of my time. .

mr. capuano: there are are still a few mysteries left father coughlin has to help us unravel. with good faith and a good prayer, the wubs ill -- cubs will win a world series. the other great mystery, you'll have to explain to me, the pronunsation. i wanted to do this today because of my respect for father coughlin as a human being and a priest. i think to be a good priest, you have to be a good human being first, i don't think it's the other way around. in the 10 years he's been here, i've come to consider him a friend. i've come to see him as

somebody in my mind who is one of the best representatives of the catholic faith i have ever known. from my perspective, i want to thank you not just for your support to this house but for being such a good person. from somebody who's gone from the streets of calcutta, to the vatican to the house of representatives, you have maintained your modesty and your dignity and as far as i'm concerned, you're a fine and wonderful human being i'm proud to call not just the chaplain of the house, but a friend. with that, i yield back the balance of my time and urge passage of this resolution. the speaker pro tempore: the question is will the house suspend the rules and agree to house resolution 1216. those in favor say aye. those opposed, no. in the opinion of the chair, 2/3 being in the affirmative, the rules are suspended, the resolution is agreed to. mr. capuano: i would like to ask for the yeas and nays, i'm

hoping mr. lungren can get his side in shape. the speaker pro tempore: the yeas and nays are requested. those in favor of taking this vote by the yeas and nays will rise and remain standing until counted. a sufficient number having risen, the yeas and nays are ordered. pursuant to clause 8 of rule 20, the chair's -- and the chair's prior announcement, further proceedings on this further proceedings on this motion will be postponed.

the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentlewoman from california seek recognition? mrs. capps: i move that the house suspend the rules and agree to house resolution 1116, supporting the goals and ideals of multiple sclerosis awareness week. the speaker pro tempore: pursuant to the rule, the gentlewoman from california, mrs. capps, and the gentleman, mr. burgess will each control 20 minutes. excuse me, i forgot to ask the clerk to name the resolution,

the clerk: resolution 1116, supporting the goals and ideals of multiple sclerosis awareness week. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman from california and the gentleman from texas will each control 20 minutes. the chair recognizes the gentlewoman from california. mrs. capps: i ask unanimous consent that all members have five legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material for the record. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, so ordered. mrs. capps: i yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman is recognized. mrs. capps: i rise today in strong support of house resolution 1116, recognizing and supporting the goals and ideals of multiple sclow roe sis awareness week, which actually took place the week of march 8. while multiple sclerosis awareness week occurred last month, it's never the wrong time to draw attention to this important health issue and reaffirm our commitment to combating m.s. multiple sclerosis affects an

estimated 400,000 people in the united states and 2.5 million people worldwide. m.s. is thought on an autoimmune disorder, where the immune system attacks healthy nerve fibers of the immune system. symptoms include blurred vision, blindness, tremors, extreme fatigue and paralysis. however the exact causes of m.s. are unknown and there's no known cure for this disease. what we all know is that it can affect men and women of all ages and does affect each person differently. many of us have our own personal stories of loved ones diagnosed with m.s. we'll hear some of those today. i have gotten to know some wonderful constituent advocates from my district to learn of their personal stories over the years through the m.s. society chapter which i represent in my district and i know that many of my colleague have benefited

from interactions with their local chapters and the members who have shared their stories. so i want to commend my colleague, representative lee, for introducing this resolution. i also recognize representative carnahan and representative burgess for their leadership on the congressional multiple sclerosis caucus. i urge my colleagues to support this resolution and i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman reserves the balance of her time. the gentleman from texas is recognized. mr. burgess: thank you, madam speaker. i yield myself such time as i may consume. i thank the gentlelady from california for her recognition as co-chairman of the congressional m.s. caucus. i rise today in support of house resolution 1116, supporting the goals and ideals of multiple sclerosis awareness week from march 8 through march 14. the goal is to raise awareness of this disease for individuals and their families impacted by

this illness. every hour in the united states, someone new is diagnosed with multiple sclow roe sis. it is a chronic, often disabling disease that attacks the central nervous people. approximately 2.5 million people are affected worldwide. patients suffer a variety of symptoms which can vary from person to person and may vary within a particular patient in the course of the disease. among the symptoms are impaired vision, muscle weakness, problems with coordination and balance, numbness, memory problems and in the most severe cases which fortunately is rare, the disease is fatal. even in milder cases of multiple sclow roe sis, it creates challenges for patients by impairing speech and the ability to write and the ability to walk. despite this, the cause is unknown, there is yet no laboratory test available that definitively establishes the diagnosis and there is no cure. treatments, however, have

improved markedly over the last 20 to 30 years and that is the reason we should applaud the work of the multiple sclow roe cisco ligs, an affiliation of m.s. organizations dedicated to enhancing the quality of life of those affected by the disease which celebrates -- recognize this is special week we designate as multiple sclerosis week. many people know -- many members know someone affected. during my brief time in congress, one of my staff members has been diagnosed. i want to recognize those who deal with the disease every day and the doctors and nurses who support them and continue to search for a cure. i'd like to thank russ carnahan of missouri, chair of the m.s. caucus and representative barbara lee for sponsoring this

resolution with me. i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves. the gentlewoman from california is recognized. ms. capps: i'm pleased to yield such time as she may consume to the representative from california, representative lee, the author of this resolution fpblg the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman is reck -- author of this resolution. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman is recognized. ms. lee: i thank the gentlelady from california for yield negme the time and thank you for using your invaluable background as a nurse to help shape quality health care for all in our country. thank you very much for your leadership. also let me thank congressman russ carnahan and congressman burgess, the co-chairs of the m.s. caucus and my staff for helping work on this resolution in a bipartisan matter and keeping the congress focused on

m.s. issues, which was recognized in m.s. awareness week march 8 through march 14. let me thank chairman waxman and ranking member burton and their staff for agreeing to bring the resolution to the floor along with nearly 110 co-sponsors and to congresswoman kilroy, the gentlelady from ohio, i want to say to her, her determination and her strength is such an inspiration to all of us here in the house of representatives. let me thank the multiple sclerosis coalition, the national m.s. society and our staff, especially shaun o'neill and shauna goldman for leading the charge and for their work on this resolution and helping support activities around the country in recognition of this week. this resolution is in honor of those living with m.s. and the friends and family and loved ones who care for them and support them. lastly, i want to thank my beloved sister mildred for

teaching me what it's like to live with multiple sclow roe sis. she was diagnosed with m.s. at the age of 26 or 27. she's been living a productive and fruitful life. she's learned about the treatments and medications and frnlt, she has had access to some of the best. but she wants everyone to have access to the types of treatment she has had. i asked her this morning what she'd like for me to say and she said, increase funding for research so we can find a cure. she said to me, you know, it's so frustrating to go to the doctor and for me to ask the doctor a question about the symptoms of my disease and the doctor says, i just don't know. she said at first she thought the doctors were just putting her off but actually the doctors just don't know. so this bill is for all the times that she told me she gets up in the morning and wonders whether she'll be able to walk that day. this is for all the times she's in remission, dreading the next

flare up, wondering what is going to trigger the return of her symptoms. i'm pleased to be here today to talk about a disease that my family and hundreds of thousands of families around the nation have faced. in fact, our first lady, michelle obama, her dad, mr. frazier robinson, had multiple sclow roe sis. so our first family clearly understands the need for increased awareness and outreach and resources to fight this disease. multiple sclow roe sis is a chronic, unpredictable disease of the central nervous system. it's thought to be an autoimmune disorder where the immune system incorrectly attacks healthy nerve fibers, interfering with nerve signal transmission throughout the body. there are over 400,000 people in the united states suffering with m.s. and worldwide 2.5 million have been diagnosed.

but the actual numbers are almost certainly higher. though it primarily affects caucasian populations, it does affect african-americans and other minorities. because people of color have less access to the health care system that i'm -- which i'm confident our health care law will finally addressed they may not get diagnosed at the rates they should. m.s. awareness week was recognized this year, march 8 through march 14. the theme of this year was move it. it was intended to encourage people throughout the country to volunteer, raise funding, advocate, educate, and raise awareness about this disease. this is the fifth year of m.s. awareness week and over the past five years, the national multiple sclow roe sis society has received 30 million in donated corporate support, advertising space and public

relations and joan rated more relations and joan rated more than

through her work with the lone star chapter of the m.s. society in houston, texas. we appreciate her work and service. while m.s. awareness week has passed, there's still a lot we must do. on may 26, m.s. societies throughout the world will ban together on world m.s. day to increase awareness, knowledge, and understanding of the disease and the needs of people with m.s. and how to improve their quality of life. as i have always said, our health is tied to the health of our brothers and sisters throughout the world and we have to view anyone's problems, their problems, as our own problems. otherwise we will never be truly rid of this disease. as members of congress, we have the ability and the responsibility to ensure that additional research funding is put toward diseases like multiple sclerosis. we need to invest more time and

effort into finding the causes of m.s. to prevent it, to improve existing therapies for those who suffer with it, and i hope one day as my sister said, just find a cure. i'm pleased that the f.y. 2010 defense appropriation bill included $4.5 million to fund research into multiple sclerosis among our veterans. i look forward to making sure that we provide even more next year. so once again i want to thank my colleagues for their support of the resolution and in honor of all those living with m.s. i just want to say we are committed to putting more money into research and to finding a cure as my sister mildred said, that's all we need to do. thank you again. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from texas rise? >> i'll reserve my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves his time. for what purpose does the gentlewoman from california rise? mrs. capps: i'm pleased to yield to our colleague from missouri, representative carnahan, who is

the co-chair of the multiple sclerosis society, such time he may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from missouri is recognized. m carnahan: madam speaker, i want to thank the gentlelady from california for her leadership and work on this important legislation. supporting the m.s. awareness week. every week around 200 people are diagnosed in this country with m.s. and indeed there's been a spike in diagnosis among our military. that's one of the reasons the past several years we have been able to fight for and obtain funding through the department of defense, congressionally directed research program. we also have worked with addressing the issue in terms of creating a national registry so we can help track this difficult disease that has eluded cures for so long. i am proud to serve as co-chair

of the congressional m.s. caucus along with my colleague here today, michael burgess. he's been a good partner in promoting this. the m.s. caucus is a bipartisan group of 127 members of this house actively engaged in discussions about access to quality health care, rising awareness. promoting education and increasing m.s. research. i want to urge my colleagues here today to not just support this resolution but if you are not already a member of the m.s. caucus, i urge you to join us. i urge you connect with your local chapters to help support the people that are living and suffering with m.s., but also to help find that cure, to move research forward. this year marks the fifth annual m.s. awareness week. the week was created by the m.s. coalition and the national m.s. society to raise national

awareness about m.s. i especially want to thank st. louis' gateway chapter of the national m.s. society for their unwavering dedication to their help for people back in my home city and for their support of my work here in the congress. i'm grateful for their hard work to provide support and assistance to those living with and affected by m.s. this spring, in fact, more than 8,000 missourians took part in the walk m.s. events across the state, raising awareness and funds to helping those -- to help those living with m.s. every day for the challenges they face from this disease. today i want to again urge my colleagues to support this resolution and help create a world free of m.s. madam speaker, i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. the gentleman from texas is recognized. mr. burgess: i yield myself one minute.

i want to thank representative carnahan for the recognition and echo his call to other members of this congress to join the m.s. caucus. this caucus is -- does real work. we provide information, we provide conference calls, we provide educational time with either members or staff, and it is a worthwhile endeavor. while there is no treatment -- while there is no cure for multiple sclerosis as it stands today, the treatment has evolved significantly. in my 25 years of medical practice i saw significant evolution although i did not take -- i was not the pry mare require -- primary caregiver, i had many patients who did suffer from that illness. as a consequence over the course of my professional lifetime did see the treatment evolve from one that was essentially palliative to one that was more targeted toward the disease itself or tarring thed toward the damage -- targeted toward

the damage it inflicts on the nervous system. i encourage members on both sides of the aisle to join this caucus. i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman california is recognized. mrs. capps: i'll ask my colleague from texas if he has further speakers. if he does-- the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from texas is recognized. mr. burgess: thank you, madam speaker. i do not appear to have additional speakers so i will close. again i want to thank everyone who has participated today. we have heard today that multiple sclerosis is a chronic, often disabling disease. but today new treatments and advances in research are starting to give new hope to people affected by the disease, but more must be done to understand the course of this illness. most people with m.s. learn to cope. they learn to cope with the disease and continue to leave satisfying productive lives, but they do want answers. we recently tapped off m.s. awareness week 2010 on march 8 and now prepare for world m.s.

day on may 26. texas, my home state, is getting into the act with the btms-150 which is a 180-mile journey from houston to austin. this event is a two-day fundraising cycling ride organized by the lone star chapter of the national multiple sclerosis society. and the largest of its kind in north texas. this year's ride took place this past weekend. in 2009 this event raised more than $17 million for research for m.s. and the fundraising goal for this year is $18 million with contributions still being tallied. but the lone star chapter of the national m.s. society is on its way to reaching this ambitious goal. and this was the fifth year of m.s. awareness week. the multiple sclerosis caucus is a bipartisan group of 127 representatives and 23 senators. is in full support of this resolution but we can do more. in fact, we will be looking to have an m.s. briefing for members and their staff sometime this june and i hope many

members will be able to attend. in addition, i urge everyone who supports this resolution to co-sponsor h.r. 1362, to create a national m.s. registry. this bill has over 150 co-sponsors and i urge my colleagues on the energy and commerce committee to take up this resolution because it is an important amount of work that needs to be done. and with all the focus nowadays on genomic medicine, this registry will become increasingly important. i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. the gentlewoman from california, mrs. capps: madam speaker, as we conclude this discussion on the importance of being aware of multiple cler rowcies and adoption of this resolution, i would call to attention to my colleagues all of our local chapters throughout the country. our colleagues have highlighted some of the chapters that they represent and i know that i had a wonderful interaction with the members and people who support our local chapter in my district

as they seek to raise awareness within our local communities and also work together to raise funds through their walks and through their fundraising drives to provide a quality of life and support for their members. those who are afflicted with multiple sclerosis and their families. it's an honor to serve with them and work with them and to represent them here as they would have us do. and what they would want us to underscore as well is the importance of our funding adequately the national endowments for the health, the efforts for continuing research for accentuating the research in all neurological disorders, those that affect a whole host of ranges that impact people's lives. and among them so important are those who are afflicted with multiple sclerosis. that's surely what we can do on their behalf as we look forward to possibilities as new

discoveries are made and much more research can be done in this arena. so our resolution can bring all of that to fruition and i yield back by encouraging all of our colleagues to honor and vote for house resolution 1116, supporting the goals and ideals of multiple sclerosis awareness week. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the question is, will the house suspend the rules and agree to house resolution 1116. 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 motion to reconsider is laid the motion to reconsider is laid upon the table.

the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from michigan seek recognition? mr. conyers: i move to suspend the rules and pass house resolution 1281. the speaker pro tempore: the clerk will report the title of the resolution. the clerk: house resolution 1281, resolution celebrating the life and achievements of dr. dorothy irene height and recognizing her lifelong dedication and leadership in the struggle for human rights and equality for all people until her death at age 98 on april 20, 2010. the speaker pro tempore: pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from michigan, mr. conyers, and the gentleman from texas, mr. poe, will each control 20 minutes. the chair recognizes the gentleman from michigan. mr. conyers: thank you, madam speaker. i yield myself such time as i may consume. and ask unanimous consent that all members may have five

legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. mr. conyers: this is a day we come to remember and honor the life and legacy of one of america's most celebrated civil rights leaders, the late dr. dorothy height. who passed just yesterday. and was one that brings back many memories for many of the members of the house. she was -- her connections with dr. martin luther king jr. and rosa parks and all the organizations that she was connected with are already a part of legendary record.

i was with her in 1963 when dr. king led this march to washington and i remembered seeing her, i didn't know her at that time, but i sure got to know her a couple years later. i'm going to put my remarks in the record and yield to our distinguished majority whip, -- wait a minute. maybe i should let mr. poe go for a little while. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from texas is recognized. mr. poe: thank you, madam speaker. i yield myself such time as i may consume. i want to thank the chairman of the judiciary committee for bringing this to the floor as quickly as possible. i support this resolution, h.res. 1281, and it commemorates

the life of dorothy height as the chairman said who died just yesterday. she was one of the key civil rights leaders who fought for racial and gender equality in the 20th century. she helped bring about school desegregation, she brought about in her own way the movement for an advocation for voting rights and employment equality. . she moved to pennsylvania at an early age. she was admitted to bernard college but was denied admission when she showed up to register. she the school had a policy of accepting only two black student, so she went to new york university. the got a master's degree in educational psychology. after her studies, ms. height served as a caseworker in new

york city. her next year she began her career as a civil rights activist on behalf of african-american and all women. she joined the ywca and was the national president of delta sigma theta. from 1957 to 1967, she was president of the american council of negro women and in the 1970's, she established wednesdays in mississippi, to join black and white women from the north and south to join in dialogues to accomplish social integration. she lobbied first lady eleanor roosevelt to help civil rights efforts in the 1940's. in later year, she encouraged presidents dwight eisenhower

and lyndon baynes johnson to desegregate schools and appoint black women in positions in government. she serve thobed president's committee on the status of women and was a consultant on african affairs to the secretary of state. ms. height was on the platform with dr. martin luther king jr. when he gave his "i have a dream" speech in 1963 -- and chairman conyers was at that event. for ms. height's decades of work on behalf of civil rights she was awarded the presidential medal of freedom in 1994 and the congressional gold medal in 2004. yesterday, at the age of 98, dorothy height passed away at howard university hospital here in washington, d.c. i urge my colleagues to join me in supporting this resolution. i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves the balance of his time.

the gentleman from michigan is recognized. mr. conyers: i recognize the distinguished majority leader, james clyburn, for as much time as he may consume. i thank judge poe for co-leading this resolution for the judiciary committee. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from south carolina is recognized. mr. clyburn: thank you, madam speaker. i thank the chair for yielding me time. i thank you so much ranking member poe, for joining in this resolution. madam speaker, i was born and raised in the little town of south carolina and just outside of sumter is the town of maysville, the birth place of mary mccloud bethune, the founder of the american council of negro women. when i was growing up, my

mother, who was a beautician, and ms. bethune, organized the national council through beauty shops. my mother thought ms. bethune was the greatest person to ever live and she made me learn everything i could about ms. bethune. later, as i labored on the staff of governor john west, back in 1971, i received a phone call. from dorothy height. i knew ms. height, she had been a longtime president of delta sigma theta sorority, the sister sorority to my fraternity, omega psi phi.

i knew her and i knew her because she'd become the national leader of the national council of negro women. she said to me that she wanted my help because she thought that south carolina being the birth place of marely -- mary mccloud bethune, it would be the place to honor her. she thought ms. bethune's portrait should be in the state house of south carolina. at that time no african-american was so honored. never been an african-american portrait placed in the state house. and i went to governor west and i told him that i thought this was something we should do. well, as you can imagine, madam speaker, this was not met with as much collegiality as we

display toward each other here on this floor. so i called ms. height to tell her that i thought this was going to be very, very difficult. she said to me, now, young man, i didn't ask for your help because i thought it was going to be easy. she said things to me that day that made me understand a lot about who and what i am. and we joined together. we covered and counseled each other. and i'm pleased to report that because of ms. height, dr. height, the portrait of mary mccloud bethune hangs in the state house of south carolina.

the first african-american so honored. others have joined us and later been amaze -- have joined us. but she blazed that trail and she did so because of dr. height. when i got elected to the congress, dr. height called again. she told me that the national council is going to put a statue here in, i believe lincoln park, here in washington. she wanted me to come and be part of that dedication. i joined her there that day and from that day on, very often, we would meet, we would talk on the phone, and i just believe that she is very close to being

as great a woman as mary mccloud bethune was. i'm pleased to be here to say a few words in honor of her and in memory of her great life and tremendous legacy and with that, i yield back, mr. chairman. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from texas is recognized. mr. poe: i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves. the gentleman from michigan is recognized. mr. conyers: i'm pleased to yield marcia fudge, one of our newest members of the congress who knew and worked for, studied under, was a meantee to dorothy height -- was a mentee to dorothy height and i yield the gentlelady such time as she

may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady is recognized. ms. fudge: thank you, madam speaker, thank you, mr. chairman. yesterday, madam speaker, a civil rights icon and humanitarian, dr. dorothy irene height, passed at the age of 98. she was my friend, my mentor, and one of my predecessors as the national president of delta sigma theta sorority. she was passionate about justice and equality. everything she did, every position she held and every policy she advocated served her life's mission, which was to eliminate barriers to success for women and blacks while inspiring the next generation. even though presidents and other world leaders sought her counsel, she always took the time to advise and encourage young women, including myself. while we mourn her loss, i am in the sad.

she lived a great life -- i am not sad. she lived a great life. we often talk about, life is not the longevity, but it is the breadth. she had a great life. we celebrate her life today a great humanitarian who leaves a legacy of strong and caring women. that is why i'm honored to introduce this resolution celebrating dr. height's life and recognizing her work. dr. height served as president of the national council of negro women for four decades, step do you think from the position in 1997. in her position with the council which by the way, connected nearly four million women worldwide, she tackled issues that affected all families, including child care for working mothers, health and nutrition, and providing adequate housing for families in need. she serves as the national president of delta sigma theta from 1947 to 1957.

widely recognized as one of the founding members of the civil rights movement, dr. height was awarded the presidential medal of freedom in 1994 by president bill clinton and in 2004, she received the congressional gold medal. dr. height fought for equal rights for both women and blacks, and was active in such causes as securing voting rights, equality employment opportunities and desegregation of public schools. marching alongside dr. martin luther king jr. she advocated women's rights in that the -- in the civil rights struggle. she advocated number ruse proms -- programs to help women achieve independence and equal rights shesms a social worker, advocate, educator, organizer, mentor and friend. she was my friend, i will miss her but my life has been better just by knowing her. mr. chairman, madam speaker, i yield back.

the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman yields back. the gentleman from texas is recognized. mr. poe: i continue to reserve my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from texas reserves his time. the gentleman from michigan is recognized. mr. conyers: madam speaker, i yield sheila jackson lee, senior member of the committee, as much time as she may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman from texas is recognized. ms. jackson lee: let me thank you very much to the chairman of the judiciary committee, my colleague from texas, mr. poe for his presence and comments on the floor about dr. dorothy height, and as well, the author of the resolution. i'm very proud to have joined congresswoman fudge to be an original co-sponsor of this legislation. i come to the floor today, as we did yesterday, for, i believe that the celebration --

for i believe the celebration of dr. height's life needs no stopping, if you will. if we continue to commemorate her throughout this week, we will not be able to account for her service and for those who may not be familiar with dr. dorothy height, i only wish that this picture was in color, so maybe as you look at this lady adorned with fabulous hat, well attired, you will remember seeing in many pictures with presidents, kings and queens, international leaders a lady who was appropriately attired with that dapper and beautiful hat. the colors i remember most are her beautiful aqua. i say that only because many times we look at women as to how they are adorned. i think that dr. height did not fail to be noticed when she came into a room, both by her sta hewitt and her attire but

certainly by her words. i would count her the most influential woman in the civil rights movement, a friend to many, one who empowered women and clearly progeny of mary mccloud bethune. what a wonderful legacy given to dr. height in her leadership of the national council of negro women for some 40 years. there are chapters throughout the nation and i am grateful tore a member of the dorothy height chapter in houston, texas. there are many, and i must remind my colleagues and those who are listening that the narme continues to be the national council of negro women, which was the name that was given by mary mccloud bethune. no one dared view that as any undermining of the dignity and purpose, reliability and of course the power of this organization. no one ran away from the word

negro. because we knew that in that word there was struggle, there was the showing of what we overcame, and to the instruction of mary mccloud bethune we knew it captured the embowerment of women but also spoke to the education of our children. dr. dorothy height was in the center point of that and i had the privilege of coming here to the united states congress and being able to look up to dr. height as i got to know her even before my congressional duties. what a pleasure to be able to join her at her annual events in the national down soifl political women, national council of black political women, to deal with her seeking empowerment for women and as well to be able to join with betty shabez and dr. coretta scott king. what a powerful group of women

whose history parallel eached other but in essence, they were sisters. i rise today to be able to acknowledge this woman who came easily to the national congress and now -- and to be able to thank her. when we were looking to pass legislation to include so journer truth as the only -- sojourner truth as the only standing figure now of an african-american woom in this united states congress, this great heroine, this great woman added her leverage, her power and her support in sisterhood to ensure we place sojourner truth, a suffragette and abolitionist here. . let it be known we do recommit ourselves to the universal access to education for all children. for the education of america's children, for reminding us that haiti's children now suffering

in the wane of an earthquake must be provided education. and to be reminded that there is no shame in being an agitator and provock tour and someone who -- provock tore and someone who vites -- fights. and the women and men and the many different rainbow colors of these united states and around the world people will be indebted to you for your common touch, but for your spirit and, yes, for saving so many of us. may god bless your soul. may you rest in peace as we celebrate over these days your life. god bless you, dr. dorothy height. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from texas has 17 minutes remaining. the gentleman from michigan has 5 1/2 minutes remaining. the gentleman from texas is recognized. mr. burgess: i continue to reserve. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from michigan is recognized.

mr. conyers: madam speaker, i'm delighted to recognize our former state senator, former ambassador, and now a member of congress who has served here with such distinction, diane watson, hollywood, california. i yield her one minute. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman from california is recognized for one minute. ms. watson: thank you so much. madam speaker, i come to contribute and to continue to contribute to a woman that really was the matriarch of the american civil rights movement. and i want you to know her crusade for racial justice and gender equality spanned more

than six decades. this is a fact you need to know. it was at age 19 that mrs. mccloud saw the leadership, the skill, and the brilliance of dorothy height. she was 19 years old when mary mccloud bethune passed the mantle of leadership over to her and she held it high and she served all people well. and i just want you to know i found out with a little research that my grandmother went to school with mary mccloud bethune and she used to tell us about her when we were 3 years old, my sister and i. and so it was many, many, many decades ago that the leadership was struck and we stand on her shoulders. thank you so much.

the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from texas is recognized. mr. poe: madam speaker, i yield to mr. conyers additional 10 minutes and ask unanimous consent that he be allowed to control that time. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. the gentleman from michigan is recognized. mr. conyers: thank you. i want to thank judge poe for his generosity. at this time i'm going to yield donna edwards of maryland is recognized for two minutes. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman from maryland is recognized for two minutes. ms. edwards: thank you, madam speaker. thank you, mr. chairman. i rise today to mourn and to join our nation in mourning dr. dorothy height. she was an american icon who dedicated her life to racial justice and gender equality. and at a time when women and african-americans were regarded as second class citizens, this strong, powerful, beautiful

african-american woman stood up for us. and she strove to change that and rose to become a key figure in the civil rights movement. meeting with first ladies and presidents and heads of state. i want to step back for a minute because i look back fondly to the time when i first met dr. height and it was more than 20 years ago as a young advocate working on domestic violence. it was through dr. height's voice and her leadership and her kindness and generosity of intellect and spirit that enabled me to become a really strong advocate for domestic violence and to speak on behalf of the needs of african-american women and women of color. in a feminist movement that was not always opened to those kind of voices, and it was really dr. height who enabled us to meet those challenges with our other feminist colleagues. i regard dr. height as a strong woman of color in the civil rights movement, but also a really strong feminist. and a committed feminist.

and just a few weeks ago, i greeted dr. height when she was out in my congressional district with her beloved deltas. and she was feeling as strong and healthy then and healthy of spirit and mind and intellect as she always had been. so with that i rise to remember her, to value her, and as a novice political leader to know that when it really counted dr. height was on my side, too. thank you. with that i yield. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from texas is recognized. mr. poe: i continue to reserve my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves the balance of his time. the gentleman from michigan is recognized. mr. conyers: madam speaker, it's my distinct honor to recognize our speaker of the house, nancy pelosi, for one minute. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman, the speaker of the house, is recognized. the speaker: thank you very much, madam speaker.

i thank the chairman for yielding and give us this opportunity to honor the life, legacy, and contributions of a godmother of the civil rights movement and a champion of social justice, dr. dorothy height. her loss is felt by all of us who knew her, respected her, and followed in her footsteps. but it's also felt by people who may never know her name but for whom she worked, for whom she led, and for whom she made a difference. the nation mourns the passing of this giant of american history and our thoughts and prayers are with her family, friends, and loved ones of this stroor woman. -- extraordinary woman. many women are heirs to the work, passion, and legacy of dorothy height. from her early days as an activist, she fought for equality under the law for every american. recognizing that the battle for civil rights extended to african-americans, women, and

anyone denied the chance to succeed because of who they are. for four decades she stood at the helm of the national council of negro women, continuing the struggle for an america that lives up to the ideals of liberty and opportunity for all. in every fight dorothy height turned the tied of history toward progress. -- tide of history toward progress. because of what she achieved schools are no longer separate and unequal, and the voting booth is open to all striving to participate in our democracy. because of what she did a steady job and decent home were not limited to a person based on their background, color of their skin, or means. today we live in america dorothy height helped to build. a nation defined by equality, shaped by civil rights, and driven by the pursuit of justice for all. the pledge we take every day, liberty and justice for all. that's what dorothy height was about. i was very proud to be joined

president bush and the house and senate, democrats and republicans, in 2004 when we presented the congressional gold medal, the highest civilian honor congress can bestow, on dorothy height. at that time president george w. bush said, in the presence of dorothy height you realize you are in the presence of grace, but you've got to realize that behind that grace there's a will of steel and absolute determination. the president went on to remind us all of how dorothy height, and he quoted from her -- later he quoted from her book, but then he went on to say how dorothy height always stressed the importance of institutions closest to us, our families, our churches, and our neighborhoods. he said, she understands that those institutions are important

in shaping the character of an individual, and therefore the character of our nation. president bush even, the president of the united states, imagine, even quoted dorothy height's memoir where she wrote, quote, it is in the neighborhood and communities where the world begins. that is where children grow and families are developed. where people exercise the power to change their lives. the president of the united states quoting dorothy height as we presented her with a congressional gold medal. important to note that with all of those honors it was also a pleasure for us to hear from dr. alexis herman, she would be secretary of labor and secretary herman very, very close personally, professionally, in every day to dorothy height and -- in every way to dorothy

height. and at that time she sang her praises, what she did to advance women and young girls and the rest, but she also talked about how she made the best sweet potato pie. so personally, professionally, patriotically dorothy height was all systems go. i have been passed a note because i was asking about a film i recently saw on tv that i hope can be available now. again it is called "the life and surprising times of dorothy height." it is an inspirational presentation of the life of a person, a person who was instilled by her own mother with the idea she could do whatever she set out to do and had a responsibility to do so. over a lifetime, over dorothy height's lifetime, human rights and equality, dorothy right advocated on behalf 6 our

neighborhoods -- of our neighborhoods and community. she stood tall for our children and families. she truly exercised her talent to change lives. as we state in our resolution today, dorothy height was a tenacious civil rights activist, social worker, advocate, educator, and organizer in the quest for equality. i join my colleague, congresswoman edwards, in focusing on that equality for women as well. i last saw dorothy height about a month ago at the 70th birthday party for john lewis, our colleague. there she sat as dignified as a queen reigning over the proceedings, one who had seen it all, seen the struggle, seen the change, and now recognized then by the congress of the united states and now in her passing by

the entire nation. our country is better off because of dorothy height's commitment, compassion, grace, and patriotism. we will miss her tenacity and zeal in the fight for equality. our nation's heritage and hope. will each take inspiration from the story of progress and her countless victories for the american people. thank you, madam speaker. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from texas is recognized. mr. poe: i continue to reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves the balance of his time. the gentleman from michigan is recognized. mr. conyers: i'm pleased to recognize my friend and colleague from michigan, carolyn cheeks kilpatrick, distinguished member of the appropriations committee and activist in her own right, for one minute. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman from michigan is recognized for one minute. ms. kilpatrick: thank you, madam speaker. thank you, mr. chairman. i thank the gentleman for yielding us additional time. we appreciate