as well. i was pleased to hold a series of rural development round tables in my district looking at undersecretary for rural development. i hope we can continue to build momentum nationally and ensure our farmers and rural communities can contribute to continued economic recovery. agriculture and our nation's farmers are consistently strong contributors to the economy, and are certainly vital for the survival of our rural communities and vice versa. many of our rural areas were struggling even before the downturn and we continue to see a decline in the number of farmers and rural businesses. often the loss of one rural business can have a domino effect throughout the community and surrounding areas. i think we need to be vigilant in bringing rural and farming issues to the forefront of the debates we have on economic development and additionally look at policies to promote access to and development of new food market and supply chain

improvements and related rural businesses. i hope my colleagues will agree on the need to bring attention to expanding the opportunities for agriculture and farming to contribute to national and local economic recovery. i reserve the balance of my time. . the chair: the gentleman reserves. the gentleman from texas. mr. neugebauer: i claim time in opposition although i am not opposed to the amendment. the chair: without objection, the gentleman from texas is recognized for five minutes. mr. neugebauer: as the provisions in the bill say, loans to farmers in rural areas count as small business lending under the provisions of this bill. but just like the sponsor of the bill, i represent agricultural district and understand the important access to credit for farmers. so i think this sense of congress emphasizes that farming and ranching and agriculture is an integral part of our economy, it is an integral part of our small business community and i think highlights that. and so i appreciate the gentleman from iowa bringing that forward and i support the

amendment. with that i yield back my time. the chair: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. the gentleman from iowa. mr. loebsack: madam speaker, i want to thank my colleagues for their consideration of this amendment and want to urge its passage and at this time i yield back the balance of my time. the chair: the gentleman has yielded the remainder of his time. the question is on the amendment offered by the gentleman from iowa, mr. loebsack. those in favor say aye. those opposed, no. in the opinion of the chair, the ayes have it. the amendment is agreed to. it is now in order to consider amendment number 17 printed in part c of house report 111-506. for what purpose does the gentleman from texas seek recognition? mr. green: madam chair, i rise as a designee to speak for ms. chu. and i have an amendment at the desk. the chair: the clerk will designate the amendment.

the clerk: amendment number 17 printed in part c of house report 111-506 offered by mr. al green of texas. the chair: pursuant to resolution 1436, the gentleman from texas and a member opposed each will control five minutes. the chair recognizes the gentleman from texas. mr. green: thank you, madam chair. madam chair, this amendment is one that will add additional language to the requirement that there be minority outreach in this program. it's important for me to state that i have a district that i represent that is currently about 36% african-american, 31% latino, 21% anglo and 12% asian. it's important to note that in my district the ballot is printed in three languages. it's printed in english, spanish and vietnamese. this amendment furthers the

notion that persons who speak languages other than english will have an opportunity to have materials that are sensitive. this amendment would require that appropriate materials when published be in languages that are culturally and linguistically sensitive. it also requires that advertising receive the same sort of consideration, given that we're trying to reach markets wherein we do have persons who can better understand what is being conveyed if they have the opportunity to do so in a language that they are comfortableewith. by the way, i would add that many people who speak english have difficulty with financial documents as was indicated by a previous amendment. imagine, if will you, speaking english but it is not a language that you are as comfortable with as perhaps another language. this would assist persons with the understanding that they

should have, so as to participate in the program. the amendment would also have data disaggregated. we find that the information that we collect too often does not disaggregate as it relates to the asian community. the asian american community, i might add. and we would have this information disaggregated so we might ascertain whether or not we have persons who are not only of wealth in the community but also find out about persons who may not be as wealthy as many others. with this said, i will reserve the balance of my time. the chair: the gentleman reserves. the gentleman from texas. mr. neugebauer: yes, i rise in opposition -- claim time in opposition although i am not opposed to the bill. the chair: without objection, the gentleman is recognized. mr. neugebauer: i thank the gentleman for that and -- basically the amendment would require an applicant for the small business lending fund to plan for appropriate outreach and require that such outreach

is performed after receiving the funds. i think that could be appropriate there. as i understand it, the requirements of this fall to the eligible institutions and there's no additional money appropriated for that, but they would do that out of their own operating expenses. is that correct? mr. green: this is correct. if the gentleman yields, your assumption is correct. mr. neugebauer: thank you. with that i yield back. the chair: the gentleman has yielded the remainder of his time. mr. green: yes. at this time i would recognize ms. chu for as much time as she may consume. the chair: without objection, the gentlelady from california is recognized. ms. chu: thank you, madam speaker. the small business lending act is critical to helping small businesses across the country and therefore critical to helping people because small businesses create more jobs than anyone else. small businesses sustain their communities. our amendment ensures that we

don't leave minority business owners behind. minority business owners need every opportunity to grow, create jobs and contribute to their community. but there are barriers. our amendment makes sure that bank lending plans, outreach and advertising are culturally and linguistically appropriate for diverse businesses. this provision is essential for the asian american-pacific islander community because government programs can miss important details when they don't account for cultural and linguistic differences. take the census bureau, for instance, which provides so many funds for our communities. earlier this year they mistranslated part of the vietnamese census forms. they used a phrase connected to the previous government regime. it meant government investigation and placed -- in place of the word census. clearly this is no minor gaff. this language in this amendment ensures that future outreach doesn't repeat these mistakes, excluding deserving businesses from great opportunities.

but it's not just minority businesses that need access to this program. minority-owned banks also deserve the right to compete. that's why our amendment makes sure such institutions receive consideration during the program's implementation. minority-owned banks play a vital role in the asian-pacific islander and minority business development endevener and together they enhance the country's economic recovery and long-term growth. minority firms currently provide nearly five million steady jobs but could potentially create over 11 million more. our amendment helps them do so. i ask my colleagues to support this amendment because it eliminates obstacles in the way of our nation's nye mortgage businesses and if a -- minority businesses and facilitates their growth during these very tough economic times. the chair: does the gentlewoman yield? mr. green: i will reserve.

the chair: the gentleman from texas has one minute remaining. the gentleman on the other side has yielded. the gentleman from texas has yielded. mr. green: i will yield the balance of my time as well. the chair: the gentleman has yielded the remainder of his time. the gentleman from texas is recognized. the gentleman has yielded back. the question is on the amendment offered by the gentleman from texas, mr. green. those in favor say aye. those opposed, no. in the opinion of the chair, the ayes have it. the amendment is agreed to. for what purpose does the gentlewoman from illinois rise? ms. bean: i move that the committee rise. the chair: the question is on the motion to rise. those in favor say aye. those opposed, no. the ayes have it. the committee rises.

the speaker pro tempore: the house will come to order. madam chair. the chair: the committee of the whole house on the state of the union, having had under consideration h.r. 5297, directs me to report that it has come to no resolution thereon. the speaker pro tempore: the chair of the committee of the whole house on the state of the union reports that the committee has had under consideration h.r. 5297 and has come to no -- to no

resolution thereon. the speaker pro tempore: pursuant to laws 8 of rule 20, the chair will postpone further proceedings today on motions to suspend the rules on which a recorded vote or the yeas and nays are ordered. or on which the vote incurs objection under clause 6 of rule 20. recorded votes on postponed questions will be taken later. for what purpose does the gentleman from connecticut seek recognition? >> madam speaker, i move that the house suspend the rules and agree to h.r. 4451, the collinsville renewable energy

promotions act, as amended. the speaker pro tempore: the clerk will report the title of the bill. the clerk: union calendar number 289, a bill to reinstate and transfer certain hydroelectric licenses and extend the deadline for commencement of construction and certain hydroelectric projects. the speaker pro tempore: pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from connecticut, mr. murphy, and the gentleman from nebraska, mr. terry, each will control 20 minutes. the chair recognizes the gentleman from connecticut. mr. murphy: madam speaker, i ask unanimous consent that all members may have five legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on the record. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. mr. murphy: madam speaker, i yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. murphy: madam speaker, the legislation before the house today is pretty simple. it will permit several communities in my district, the district of connecticut, to operate two now defunct hydroelectric dams as municipal

power sources. the dams on the upper and lower collinsville dams have laid dormant in connecticut's farmington river since the 1960's. the licenses previously issued to operate both these dams are currently inactive and this legislation would allow it for them to reinstate and transfer them to the town of canton, connecticut, for operation. the state legislator has passed -- legislature has passed this but federal legislation is also needed to restore their operation. these small dams, already a beloved and long standing symbol of the valley's rich history, they used to power a very well-known and thriving axe factory on the site. this legislation would allow for additional comments and for environmental data to be considered by ferc pry -- prior to taking any action, ensuring that the river's health and the region's health is well protected. legislation has been drafted over the course of many months,

with the close cooperation of ferc, who is unopposed to the legislation, and we put together a bipartisan coalition of stakeholders, including all of the affected communities, the governor of the state of connecticut and regional and national river protection organizations. simply put, there is broad and deep consensus and agreement that these dams represent a valuable source of renewable energy, right in the heart of suburban connecticut. and while we work here in the house and the senate to enact much broader and sweeping policies to try to promote renewable energy development around this country, we need to also recognize that in some parts of this nation there are some very locally produced, locally driven projects like this one in canton and avon, connecticut, that can produce some pretty immediate effects for local rate payers, providing them with clean, renewable, locally produced and locally run energy. i'd like to thank chairman waxman and chairman markey and

ranking members barton and upton for their help in bricking -- bringing this legislation to the floor. and i would urge passage today of h.r. 4451. i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves the balance of his time. the gentleman from nebraska. mr. terry: mr. speaker, i yield myself as much time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. mr. terry: mr. speaker, i rise today on behalf of our side of the aisle, the energy and commerce committee, and report that we have absolutely no opposition and actually support this bill. mr. speaker, we're considering the collinsville renewable energy promotion act. this was considered in the markup of the committee on energy and commerce on march 24, and in a markup of the full committee on may 26, both times passing by a voice vote. the purpose of this bill is to authorize the federal energy regulatory commission, also known as ferc, to reinstate the terminated licenses for the

upper and lower collinsville dams hydroelectric projects and to extend for two years after the date of any such reinstatement the date by which the licensees required to commence construction and in the event that ferc reinstates the licenses to require ferc to transfer such licenses to the town of canton, connecticut. i commend representative murphy for offering an amendment in the nature of a substitute at the full committee markup that made two important changes. the first is requiring ferc to provide an opportunity for the submission of comments by interested persons before reinstating one or both of the terminated licenses. therefore, interested parties will have an opportunity to address any concerns with ferc. and the second is to include a new section 6 which would clarify that nothing in h.r.

4451 would diminish or extinguish any existing rights under such license. mr. speaker, this bill has no direct cost. we are in support of the bill. thank you, mr. speaker, and i will reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves the balance of his time. the gentleman from connecticut. mr. murphy: i thank the gentleman for his support of the bill and for working with us and providing the amendment that he referenced. i think it's important to underscore his point that this is not a requirement that ferc reissue these licenses to the town of canton. it's just permissive language allowing them to do that given proper environmental review and proper availability of comment from other interested parties. this really is an example of how local power production can be done right. this is a nonpartisan local issue. republicans and democrats at the local and state level, along with administration in the state of connecticut coming

together to try to promote a project that can bring two long dorment dams online. i would also note that the reconstruction of the dams would allow for the potential fish passage along a stream that has for a long-standing time not allowed for that passage. there is multiple benefits to the community and ratepayers and i thank the gentleman's support of the bill. with that i'd reserve unless the gentleman has any additional comments. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from nebraska. mr. terry: mr. speaker, we have no additional speakers, so i will yield back the remaining time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back the remaining time. the gentleman from connecticut. mr. murphy: i'd urge support of the bill and yield back the remainder of our time as well. the speaker pro tempore: the time has yielded back. the question is will the house suspend the rules and pass h.r. 4451 as amended. those in favor say aye. those opposed, no. in the opinion of the chair, 2/3 having responded in the

affirmative, the rules are suspended, the bill is passed and without objection, the motion to reconsider is laid on the table. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from tennessee rise? mr. cohen: mr. speaker, i move to suspend the rules and pass house concurrent resolution 242. the speaker pro tempore: the clerk will report the title of the concurrent resolution. the clerk: house concurrent resolution 242, concurrent resolution honoring and

praising the national association for the advancement of colored people on the occasion of its 101st anniversary. the speaker pro tempore: pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from tennessee, mr. cohen, and the gentleman from texas, mr. smith, each will control 20 minutes. the chair recognizes the gentleman from tennessee. mr. cohen: thank you. i 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. cohen: and i yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. cohen: thank you, mr. speaker. house concurrent resolution 242 honors one of our nation's oldest and most esteemed civil rights organizations, the national association for the advancement of colored people, known as the naacp, also known as the conscience of the united states congress. this year the naacp celebrates % its 101st anniversary and its ongoing efforts to produce justice and equality for all americans, not just americans of color, but all americans.

i support the gentleman from texas, mr. green, the sponsor of this resolution, and the former president of the houston branch of the naacp for his continued commitment for recognizing the naacp for its historical and contemporary civil rights contributions. as we celebrate the organization on this the 101st anniversary, i'd like to reflect on a few bits of history concerning the naacp. first, acknowledging its history which began february 12, 1909, when the organization was formed by ida wells-barnett, w.e.b. dubois, henry moscowitz, mary white ovington, oswald garrison villard and william english walling, a biracial group that consisted of christians and jews. it is a history that includes some of the most significant moments in our nation's great story where we've come to a more perfect union. the 1954 case of brown vs. board of education of topeka, the greaa landmark supreme court case that ended the

separate but equal fallacies that our government and laws labored under since plessy b. ferguson. the chief counsel, thurgood marshall, later one of the great justices of our supreme court. the naacp's contributions also have included support for and rallying and lobbying for the %% 1957, 1960 and 1964 civil rights acts, the 1965 voting rights act and the 1968 fair housing act where clarence mitchell led the way with the naacp. and, of course, the court case that the naacp was involved in, loving vs. virginia, that turned over the laws in this nation in 1967. a set of laws that our precursors to other laws that still are in debate in this nation today. but the fight didn't end there, which brings me to my second point. today we're reminded of the naacp's mission, to ensure quality of rights of all persons, eliminate racial hatred and discrimination.

it's as important as relevant as it was decades ago. just this year a hate crimes law was passed, so it's not based on race, gender, sexual orientation, and the naacp was there in great support. the naacp has engaged in battles on multiple fronts on its 101st anniversary. the dedicated team is addressing issues that impact communities of color. it advocates for quality in education, influences the debate on environmental justice, works in disparities in the criminal justice system, racial profiling and other types of injustices and looks for equity and equality regardless of the issue for all americans. in addition, the naacp is working to prevent families from losing their piece of the american dream during this housing crisis by working with financial institutions to change the mortgage lending practices that helped bring on

this crisis, parties to a lawsuit against wells fargo in baltimore county, maryland, and in my hometown of memphis, tennessee. improving fair credit access, supporting sustainable homeownership and promoting financial literacy are among the great priorities. the naacp was supportive of the resolution that the 110th congress passed to -- for the first time in our nation's history, apologize for slavery and jim crow laws and to make clear that the vestiges of jim crow and slavery would be affected by the future congresses. today's commemoration of the naacp's 101st anniversary occurs as the organization prepares for its convention, one nation, one dream, the title, to be held in kansas city, missouri, on july 10 through july 15. at that time hundreds of naacp leaders and members will consider bowled and innovative a-- bold and innovative approaches tackling the 21st century. among those leaders will be benjamin todd jealous, the

president of the naacp, the current chairman, roselyn brock, former chairman, washington bureau director, hillary shelton, and wendall anthony. all exhibited the fearless dedication on building on the naacp's great legacy. this includes many great heroes that we know, dr. martin luther king jr., who abust is in our capitol rotunda, coretta scott king, his widow, rosa parks, medgar evers, benjamin hooks. and i must mention, a.w. willis, johnny turner and others. that you are unwavering commitment to promote civil rights for all americans is a great tradition that the naacp continues today. i am a member of the naacp and am proud of it. i encourage members to support the naacp. i congratulate the naacp on its 101st milestone and urge my colleagues to support this important resolution and

reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves the balance of his time. the gentleman from texas. mr. smith: mr. speaker, i yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. mr. smith: mr. speaker, this resolution recognizes the 101st anniversary of the founding of the national association for the advancement of colored people. this resolution also praises the naacp for its work to secure the political, educational, social and economic equality of all persons. phe naacp was founded on february 12, 1909, in new york city. this was a centennial of abraham lincoln's pirt. the naacp is the oldest and largest civil rights organization in the united states today. in 1913, the naacp organized opposition to racial segregation in federal government offices. the naacp also played a key role in securing the rights of african-americans to serve as officers in world war i. throughout the past century, the naacp has worked to achieve equality of rights for all

persons through nonviolence. the naacp's mission also includes the elimination of racial hatred and racial discrimination. after world war i, for example, the naacp expended significant resources in an effort to combat the limping of african-americans throughout the united states. the naacp centered its efforts around education and lobbying for legislation. in later years, the naacp's leadership was instrumental in bringing about the passage of the civil rights acts of 1957, 1960 and 1964, the voting rights act of 1965 and the desegregation of public schools in brown vs. board of education in 1954. the -- 1964. the naacp continues to work on behalf of its mission for the rights of all people today. mr. speaker, i urge my colleagues to support this resolution, and i have no further speakers so i'll yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back the

balance of his time. the gentleman from tennessee. mr. cohen: thank you, mr. speaker. i yield as many minutes as the gentleman from texas, mr. green, who is the sponsor of this resolution, former president of the houston branch of the naacp and a great member of this congress, needs to address this subject. and i yield him time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from texas is yielded as much time as he may consume. mr. green: thank you, mr. speaker. i especially want to thank the member, member cohen, for working with us on this resolution. i especially want to thank the ranking member, mr. smith, for his working with us on the resolution. and i also want to give an extra special, if i may, thanks to mr. sensenbrenner because the first time we iitroduced this resolution he was the chair of the judiciary committee and he was very helpful, not only outfront in helping me with the resolution but also behind the scenes to make sure we got the resolution through the house. mr. sensenbrenner, i will be forever grateful to you for what you did to help us with

the resolution. mr. speaker, i'm honored today to present this resolution because the naacp stands for what america stands for and that is liberty and justice for all. the naacp was founded in 1909, and as was indicated, by a diverse group of americans. but it's important to note that the naacp has always been an integrated organization. from its inception, it has been an integrated organization. while i applaud all that has been done by the african-americans who have been a part of the naacp, i have to also make mention of the many other persons who are not african-americans because we simply did not get here by ourselves. there were persons of good will , of all ethnicities, who have been a benefit to us to help us have these opportunities we have today.