ms. jackson lee: i ask unanimous consent to revise and extend my remarks. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. ms. jackson lee: madam speaker, i was listening to the tribute to senator byrd yesterday on the floor of the senate, the other body, and i'm struck by one comment of his integrity, it was if senator byrd gave you his word, you could go to the bank on it. i rise today to support this legislation because i want the american people to know that this congress who has taken their vote really needs to stand by its word. . that word is to be there for america on a rainy day. this assurance is not for a handout, it's for a handup. americans are not at work because they don't want to work, they are not at work because jobs have not been created. and one of the downfalls of the

bailout, for those of us that did vote against it but because of the outpouring of our own constituents who asked us to vote yes, we voted yes for small businesses and businesses in general to create jobs. but if the too big to fail banks refuse to give loans, then we are stuck. we need to be able to provide for those who need us now, provide for the uninsured and get off this high horse of breaking your word to the american people. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady's time has expired. the gentleman from michigan, mr. camp, is recognized. mr. camp: i'm prepared to close if the gentleman has no further speakers. mr. levin: go ahead and then i'll take the balance of my time. mr. camp: all right, thank you. i yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. camp: as i said in my opening comments, there are many people on this side who have and do support helping the long-term unemployed. i voted for these benefits.

this will represent the eighth extension of unemployment benefits since july of 2008. of those eight bills one has been paid for. i heard my twrend on the other side -- friend on the other side so eloquently speak about the forgotten man. what about the children and grandchildren who are going to be left paying this debt? the issue isn't, should we extend bin fits -- benefits to the unemployed, the issue is, should they be paid for and further extend our deficit? i sit on the fiscal responsibility commission. one analyzed 200 years of world history and every country said when your national debt gets to 90% of your g.d.p., which we're at now, you end up hurting the economic growth of the country by about 1%. in america, that means one

million jobs, that means by adding to the debt and deficit we're costing jobs. noww what we need to do is help grow this economy, and let me just say that these unemployment insurance benefits are not paid for in this bill. it's $34 billion that would be spend on u.i. not a penny is paid for. this bill's declared an emergency and, therefore, this $34 billion will be added to our already record $13 trillion debt. but it doesn't have to be that way. the howl actually passed, as i mentioned, one extension bill last fall that was fully paid for. and here's what a colleague of mine on the ways and means %- committee, a senior democrat, said in a press release and also found on his website. in passing the legislation, the bill does not increase the deficit, the extension is fully paid for.

and here's what the statement of administration policy said about that bill. and i am quoting, fiscal responsibility is central to the medium-term recovery of the economy and the creation of jobs. the administration, therefore, supports the fiscally responsible approach to expanding unemployment benefits embodied in this bill. so by the administration's logic, the fiscally irresponsible bill before us undermines the medium-term recovery of the economy and the creation of jobs. let's vote no on this bill today so that we can come back tomorrow and pass a bill that extends unemployment benefits that is fully paid for and does not jeopardize the future of this country and the need for economic growth that is so important to getting us out of this recession. and 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 michigan, mr. levin, is recognized. mr. levin: i yield myself the balance of the time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. levin: first, i ask unanimous consent that all members may have five legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on h.r. 5618. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. mr. levin: i have listened to my colleague from michigan who comes here almost alone and i think those who vote no when they go back home are really going to find themselves basically alone because those who vote no have no place to hide. this is an emergency for 1.7 million people and their families right now.

therefore, it's an emergency for the community of the united states of america. and that 1.7 million will grow and grow under this banner that is floated by the minority. look, the excuses fall of their own lack of weight. you say we did nothing on democratic side. yes, we passed a bill that extended unemployment comp -- unemployment insurance. they could not find a single republican in the senate to vote for that bill, and so you finger point at those who acted and excuse those who refuse to act and you bring up the deficit. a deficit that grew under the previous administration.

you can't hide behind that. this is an emergency. you can't hide behind the republican bill either because, as i understand it, it was for one month paid for and that month is gone. you have not come up with any responsible, feasible way to excuse inaction. unemployment insurance was extended many times under republican presidents, so you don't even have that excuse. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. levin: there's no excuse. and so what was done under previous administrations, republican and democratic, should be done right today.

i'm afraid you don't see that there's an emergency for the families soon to be two million and also let me say in terms of economic growth, when you provide unemployment insurance to people, they spend it. so if you're worried about growth and consumer demand, put money in the pockets of people who are desperate, who are out of work, who are looking for work. instead, you turn your back on them. i want to read a story. i met this person in hazel park, michigan, last weekend. he served three years and nine months in the u.s. army, including a year tour in iraq. he has an associates degree from a community college and a bachelors degree. he was employed by a loan

company, a mortgage company as a broker, and then the mortgage crisis came and he was laid off. he was unemployed for three months and then he was hired by k-mart as an assistant store manager. he was laid off in 2009, august, due to store closing. he has currently approximately four weeks left on his extension due to expire on july 14. there are 1.7 million people like this gentleman already in this country. i don't know how you look them in the face. i don't know how you explain a no vote. i think the flimsy arguments that are used won't work in this hall and won't work back home. this is an emergency.

ppi really can't believe that people from the minority are going to come here and vote no. they're volting no for millions. i think -- they're voting no for millions. i think they're voting no for what i think is best for the united states of america. we are a community of people. when people lose their jobs and can't find them, we don't stand and simply stand idly by. this is the time for you to stand up, and the only way to stand up is to vote yes. i plead on behalf of the millions of people in this country out of work looking for jobs that you provide the unemployment insurance that they worked for that should be provided. don't turn your backs on them.

in the end there will be no excuse. no excuse. no excuse. i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. the question is now will the house suspend the rules and pass h.r. 5618. those in favor say aye. those opposed, no. in the opinion of the chair, 2/3 being in the affirmative, the rules are suspended and the bill is passed. without objection, the motion to reconsider is laid on the table. mr. camp: mr. speaker. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from michigan. mr. camp: i ask for the yeas and nays. the speaker pro tempore: the yeas and nays are requested. all those in favor of taking this vote by the yeas and nays will rise and remain standing until counted. a sufficient number having arisen, the yeas and nays are ordered. pursuant to clause 8 of rule 20 and the chair's prior announcement, further proceedings on this motion will be postponed.

the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentlewoman from the virgin islands seek recognition? mrs. christensen: mr. speaker, i move to suspend the rules and pass senate joint resolution 33. the speaker pro tempore: the clerk will report the title of the joint resolution. the clerk: senate joint resolution 33, joint resolution to provide for the reconsideration and revision of the proposed constitution of the united states virgin islands.

to correct provisions inconsistent with the constitution and federal law. the speaker pro tempore: pursuant to the rule, the gentlewoman from the virgin islands, mrs. christensen, and the gentleman from washington, mr. hastings, each will control 20 minutes. the chair now recognizes the gentlewoman from the virgin islands. mrs. christensen: thank you, mr. speaker. i ask unanimous consent that all members may have five legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on the resolution under consideration. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, so ordered. mrs. christensen: thank you. mr. speaker, senate joint resolution 33 was introduced by the chairman of the senate energy and natural resources committee, jeff bingaman, which raised concerns of the constitution of the united states virgin islands. in order to adopt their own constitution, congress in 1976 enacted legislation to authorize the people of the virgin islands and guam to convene constitutional conventions and write their own local constitutions. this act, public law 94528 sets

up parameters that the supremacy of the united states constitution must be recognized and adhere to as well as a process of federal review for any proposed amendments. review of any proposed constitution, including 60 days periods for both presidential and congressional reviews. we are at the very end of prescribed time for congressional action. the u.s. virgin islands, an unincorporated territory, acquired by the united states from denmark in 1917, is one of only two u.s. states and territories that does not have a constitution written by the people that determines its basic governmental organization and structure. instead, for more than half a century, the virgin islands has been under the governance of a federal law known as the revised organic act of 1954. since 1964, the people of the virgin islands have attempted five times to write a constitution that brings the

territory's governance from the people. the first four efforts was unsuccessful. on december 31, 2009, the governor of the virgin islands submitted to president obama a constitution drafted by the fifth constitutional convention of the united states virgin islands. as acquired by public law 94-584, the president transmitted the constitution to congress on march 1, 2010, for consideration. in its submital letter to congress, president obama indicated that he asks the department of justice in consultation with the department of interior to provide their views on the proposed constitution. the department of justice in a memorandum which accompanied the president's submital letter said that several features of the constitution warranted analysis and comment and outlined at least eight areas in the proposed constitution the department of justice believes should either be removed from the constitution or modified. the resolution we are considering today attempts to respond to the concerns about

the proposed constitution raised by the justice department by providing for its reconsideration and revision to correct provisions that are inconsistent with the united states constitution and federal law. it is a clear statement of congress that the convention should consider these provisions although it does not dictate what the outcome of the reconsideration should be. this resolution also represents a compromise and because of the importance of the document and the process to my constituents and to me, i'd like to explain the journey i have gone through as their representative in the only branch of local or national government with the authority to make any changes.%% regardless of my personal opinion or understanding of the unique circumstances of the u.s. virgin islands, the document adopted by the convention does not need the dictates of the act which authorize its creation. my initial provision was that we as a congress should exercise our authority and amend it before sending the document back to the people of virgin islands to vote on.

i still feel strongly the people at home are entitled to and deserve a actually sound document upon which to come out and cast their vote. that has not changed. but i have been listening to the testimony give in the congress and at home to many sides of the issues and various opinions of a broad cross section of my community, a different position evolved and despite my misgivings on the constitutionality of the document, my views became more consistent with my long held stance that the people of the territory should be the ones to decide on issues of their self-governance. the people of the virgin islands voted for delegates at the constitutional convention and we as the congress should honor their position and work on behalf of -- on the people's behalf. further, any provision that is unconstitutional would not stand and therefore no one needs feel that any rights guaranteed by the u.s. constitution would in any way be abridged. the senate felt differently. there was a degree of outrage of what appeared on the surface to be a denial of equal

protection under the law. although their first thought was to reject the document outright that was not an option so they are preparing to amend it. the resolution before us today represents a compromise that i negotiated and which protects the right of the people of the virgin islands to draft and adopt a constitution of their own writing. and i do believe could be included. to follow the dictates of the authorizing act any rights and privileges subscribed to them would move to amend. convention reconvening to just administration concerns as it happened in the case of the constitutional draft document. as i stated in my testimony before the senate, it has been my hope that once we convened as described in this resolution, no matter what was or was not done, the resulting document would go directly to the people of the u.s. v.i. for a vote. i did not prevail in that

argument but given the constraints in time by the other body's late action and delays in reaching agreement on the resolution being played under suspension calendar, i hope that we'll get this to the people in time for the constitution to reconvene. with that i ask my colleagues to support the pass ang of this measure -- passage of this measure so that we can get it done today and get it to the president for his signature. i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman from the virgin islands reserves the balance of her time. the gentleman from washington. >> thank you, mr. speaker. i yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. >> thank you, mr. speaker. mr. hastings: the adoption of the constitution will provide an additional autonomy for the territory. any constitution that is adopted should not be in conflict with the u.s. constitution as noted by the extensive comment provided by the u.s. justice department. the house therefore should pass senate joint resolution 33 today to state concerns with the virgin islands draft

constitution and urge airing these issues. with that i reserve my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves the balance of his time. the gentlewoman from the virgin islands. mrs. christensen: may i ask my colleague, mr. chairman, mr. speaker, f he has any other speakers. mr. hastings: i have no additional speakers. if you are the last smoker i will close by simply saying we should pass this. i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from washington yields the balance of his time of the the gentlewoman from the virgin islands. mrs. christensen: i thank my colleagues for his support. we are the very last few days with which the congress has been acting. i ask support of this measure. with that i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman from the virgin islands yields the balance of her time. the question is, will the house suspend the rules and pass senate joint resolution 33. so many as are in favor say aye. those opposed, no. in the opinion of the chair, 2/3 of those votiig having responded in the affirmative, the rules are suspended, the joint resolution is apassed, and without objection the motion to reconsider is laid upon the table.

for what purpose does the gentleman from oklahoma seek recognition? mr. boren: mr. speaker, i move to suspend the rules and pass h.r. 1554, as amended. the speaker pro tempore: the clerk will report the title of the bill. the clerk: h.r. 1556, a bill to make certain property in macintosh county oklahoma into trust for the benefit of the muskogee creek nation and for other purposes. the speaker pro tempore: pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from oklahoma, mr. boren, and the gentleman from washington, mr. hastings, each will control 20 minutes. the chair now recognizes the gentleman from oklahoma. mr. boren: thank you, mr. speaker, i ask unanimous consent that all members may have five legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on the resolution under consideration. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, so ordered. mr. boren: mr. speaker, h.r. 1554 would take certain property in macintosh county oklahoma into trust for the benefit of the muskogee creek

nation. the creek nation has over 69,000 enrolled citizens at its headquarters in my district in beautiful eastern oklahoma. as part of their effort to provide economic development in this very rural area of oklahoma, the nation purchased the fountain head lodge and 48 surrounding acres from the state of oklahoma. it was once touted as the state's premier resort lodge but the property has fallen into disrepair. the creek nation has hopes to turn the property into a destination resort, bringing much needed tourism dollars to this distressed area, one of the poorest in the nation. the property included a hotel, recreational building, duplex cabins, as well as 18 acres of army corps of engineer land that came wiih the property as a lease. a subsequent survey determined that the recreational building was located entirely on the

core land. the corps suggested that they transfer the ownership of the lease land to the creek nation to assist in the development of the property. on april 21, 2010, a committee on natural resources held a hearing on this legislation. the administration testified in support of the bill but expressed concerns with the manner in which it was drafted. at the full committee markup i offered an amendment in the nature of a substitute to address their concerns. the bill as amended was fairably reported by voice vote. additiooal changes have been made to h.r. 1554. this bill now prohibits gaming on the lands that are subsequent to this legislation. further, a provision was added to ensure that if there are hazardous materials on the land, the federal government remains responsible for cleaning them up. finally, language was added to account for any budgetary impacts this legislation may have. enactment of h.r. 1554 would

allow the creek nation to move forward with their plans to build a full-scale lake resort. this project will bring hundreds of much needed jobs and economic prosperity to the region. resolutions of support for this project have been passed by members of the legislature from the area, chamber of commerce, city of henrieta, and the lake ue falla association. i ask my colleagues to support passage of this legislation and i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from oklahoma reserves the balance of his time. the gentleman from washington. mr. hastings: thank you, mr. speaker. i yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. hastings: thank you, mr. speaker. mr. speaker, the gentleman from oklahoma has adequately described the purpose of this bill and i'm pleased to lend my support to this bill which will enable the muskogee creek nation of oklahoma to acquire land that will put it into productive use at no cost to

the taxpayer. and i also appreciate the sponsor, the gentleman from oklahoma, and the chairman of the committee to iron out the minor technical concerns brought up in relation to gaming in organization version of the bill. i think those improvements add to this bill and i urge adoption. with that i reserve my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves the balance of his time. the gentleman from oklahoma. mr. boren: mr. speaker, i submit for the record an exchange of letters between the committee on natural resources and the committee on transportation and infrastructure concerning h.r. 1554. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, so ordered. mr. boren: i also would like to ask the gentleman, the ranking member, if he has any additional speakers. mr. hastings: i do not. i'm prepared to close if the gentleman is. with that, mr. speaker, this is a good bill as has been amended. i yield back my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from washington yields back the balance of his time of the the gentleman from oklahoma. mr. boren: thank you, mr. speaker. i also want to particularly i

want to thank the chairman for allowing us to have a hearing for the markup. i really want to say a special thank you to the ranking member and his staff for working with us on these technical changes, making sure that everything was ironed out and i want to thank all the hard work that the creek nation has put into this legislation. i want to thank the chief, the counsel, and all the community leaders that have made this possible. i ask for a yes vote and i yield back the balance of myy time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from oklahoma yields back the balance of his time. the question is now, will the house suspend the rules and pass h.r. 1554, 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 -- mr. boren: mr. speaker, on that i request a recorded vote. the speaker pro tempore: does the gentleman ask for the yeas and nays? mr. boren: a recorded vote. the speaker pro tempore: does the gentleman ask for the yeas and nays?

mr. boren: yes. 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 , the chair's prior announcement, further proceedings on this motion will be postponed. for what purpose does the gentleman from new mexico seek recognition? >> mr. speaker, i move to suspend the rules and pass h.r. 4445, as amended. the speaker pro tempore: the

clerk will report the title of the bill. the clerk: union calendar number 295, h.r. 4445, a bill to amend public law 95-232 to repeal a restriction on treating as indian country certain lands held in trust for indian pueblos in new mexico. the speaker pro tempore: pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from new mexico, mr. heinrich, and the gentleman from washington, mr. hastings, each will control 20 minutes. the chair now recognizes the gentleman from new mexico, mr. even rich. mr. even rich: mr. speaker, i ask unanimous consent -- mr. heinrich: mr. speaker, i ask unanimous consent that all members may have five legislative days to revise and extend their remaaks and include extraneous material on the resolution under consideration. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, so ordered. mr. heinrich: mr. speaker, the indian pueblo cultural center clarification act is an important step that will help keep the indian pueblo cultural center serving our community and our nation. founded in 1976 to celebrate the history and accomplishments of our state's 19 indian

pueblos, the ipcc includes a museum honoring the continuing contributions of pueblo people to our state in their own words. the ipcc continues to serve as a gathering space for pueblo leaders to meet and discuss issues of importance to the 19 indian pueblos. the ipcc property sits on land that was put into trust for new mexico's pueblos in 1978 when the albuquerque indian school was closed by the bureau of indian education. however in recent years disagreement has arisen about the land's tax status. this legislation will remove a clause in the current aw that states that this land is not, quote-unquote, indian country. thereby ensuring that commercial activity on this site remains exempt from state taxation just like all other trust lands. the bill also includes a clause that explicitly prohibits gaming at the indian pueblo cultural center site which has

earned the support of the all-indian pueblo council, the state of new mexico, and the city of albuquerque. although it was not the intention of the council to engage in name gaming at this location, that provision puts to rest any concerns of residents who live nearby. i thank each of the parties who have come to the table in this effort to bolster a place loved by so many across new mexico's first congressional dissrict and across our nation. i'd also like to thank my colleagues from new mexico, representative teeing and representative lujan for their support as well. mr. speaker, the house natural resources committee reported this bill by unanimous consent on june 16 of this year and i would ask my colleagues to support the passage of h.r. 4445. i reserve the balance of my time. . the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from new mexico reserves the balance of his time. the gentleman from washington. mr. hastings: thank you, mr. speaker. i yield myself such time as i may consume.

the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized, mr. hastings. mr. hastings: thank you, mr. speaker. mr. speaker, the gentleman from nnew mexico has adequately explained the purpose of h.r. 4445. as long as the pueblos and the state of new mexico are comfortable with this legislation, i have no objection to passing it today. with that i reserve my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from washington reserves the balance of his time. the gentleman from new mexico. mr. heinrich: mr. speaker, i'd ask the gentleman from washington if he has additional speakers. mr. hastings: if the gentleman is prepared to close i am prepared to yield back. with that, mr. speaker, i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from -- the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. the gentleman from new mexico. mr. heinrich: i ask my colleagues to support h.r. 4445, as amended, and i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from new mexico yields the balance of his time. the question is will the house suspend the rules and pass h.r. 4445, 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 -- mr. heinrich: mr. speaker. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from new mexico. mr. heinrich: mr. speaker, i object to the vote on the grounds that a quorum is not present and i make a point of order that a quorum is not present. the speaker pro tempore: pursuant to clause 8 of rule 20 and the chair's prior announcement, further proceedings on this motion will be postponed. for what purpose does the gentleman from new mexico seek recognition? mr. heinrich: mr. speaker, i would move to suspend the rules and pass h.r. 2340, as amended. the speaker pro tempore: the clerk will report the title of the bill. the clerk: union calendar number 294, h.r. 2340, a bill to resolve the claims of the bering straits native corporation and the state of alaska to land adjacent to salmon lake in the state of alaska and to provide for the conveyance to the bering straits native corporation of certain other public land in partial satisfaction of the land entitlement of the corporation under of the alaska native claims settlement act.

the speaker pro tempore: pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from new mexico, mr. heinrich, and the gentleman from washington, mr. hastings, each will control 20 minutes. the chair now recognizes the gentleman from new mexico. mr. heinrich: mr. speaker, i ask unanimous consent that all members may have five legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on the bill under consideration. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, so ordered. mr. heinrich: mr. speaker, h.r. 2340 would ratify an agreement between the united states, the baring straits native corporation and the state of -- the baring straights native corporation and the state of alaska. the alaska native claims settlement act was enacted in 1971. under this act, alaska native regional corporations are entitled to a certain amount of public land. the berint straits is entitled

to certain land. in addition, the alaska statehood act grants the state of alaska the opportunity to select a certain amount of public lands for the state's benefit. normally, legislation is not required to implement these selections. in this case, however, both the state and the native corporation selected some of the same land. after years of negotiations, the parties, along with the united states, arrived at an agreement to resolve this conflict. i want to commend our colleague, mr. young of alaska, for his hard work and dedication to this legislation, and i ask my colleagues to support its passage. i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from new mexico reserves the balance of hii time. the gentleman from washington. mr. hastings: thank you, mr. speaker. i yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized from washington, mr. hastings. mr. hastings: thank you, mr. speaker. mr. speaker, i support this bill, as sponsored by our colleague from alaska, mr. young. it resolves overlapping parcels

pursuant to the alaska statehood act and the alaska native claims settlement act. as we learned during the committee hearing on this bill, there is no opposition to its enactment, so i am pleased to support this bill and with that i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves the balance of his time. the gentleman from new mexico. mr. heinrich: mr. speaker, i would ask the gentleman from washington if he has any additional speakers since i am prepared to close. mr. hastings: since the gentleman is prepared to close, mr. speaker, i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from washington yields back the balance of his time. the gentleman from new mexico. mr. heinrich: mr. speaker, i urge my colleagues to support h.r. 2340, as amended, and i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from new mexico yields back the balance of his time. the question is now will the house suspend the rules and pass h.r. 2340, 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 and the bill -- the gentleman from new mexico. mr. heinrich: mr. speaker, i object to the vote on the grounds that a quorum is not present and i make a point of order that a quorum is not present. the speaker pro tempore: pursuant to clause 8 of rule 20 and the chair's prior announcement, further proceedings on this motion will be postponed.

the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from california seek recognition? >> thank you, mr. speaker. i move to suspend the rules and pass the bill h.r. 1460. the speaker pro tempore: the clerk will report the title of the resolution. the clerk: house resolution 1460, resolution recognizing the important role pollinators play in supporting the ecosystem and supporting the goals and ideals of national pollinator week. the speaker pro tempore: pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from california, mr. cardoza, and the gentleman from oklahoma, mr. lucas, each will control 20 minutes. the chair now recognizes the gentleman from california. mr. cardoza: thank you, mr. speaker. mr. speaker, i ask unanimous consent that all members may have five legislative days to revise and extend their remarks . the speaker pro tempore: without objection, so ordered. mr. cardoza: mr. speaker, i yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. the gentleman from california, mr. cardoza.

mr. cardoza: thank you, mr. speaker. i rise today in support of house resolution 1460, recognizing the important role that pollinators play in supporting the ecosystem and supporting the goals and ideals of national pollinator week. approximately 3/4 of the world's 250,000 flowering plants require pollinators to facilitate rep dux. -- reprodux. in california alone, some 1.3 million bee-s poll nate over 600,000 acres of almond trees. there is no doubt that without the healthy population of pollinators that our nation has our nation's farmers will not be able to continue to grow many of the high-quality and nutritious foods we enjoy today. the house agriculture committee has paid special attention to the issue fating pollinators holding several hearings in recent years to review the

status of pollinator health issues and including funds in the 2008 farm bill to conduct much-needed research on pollinator health. i'm proud to support this resolution brought to my colleague today which recognizes the importance of pollinators, supporting diverse ecosystems and the crops that produce so many of those foods grown across this great nation. i urge my colleagues to support this resolution, and i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from california reserves the balance of his time. the gentleman from oklahoma. mr. lucas: mr. speaker, i yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. lucas: thank you, mr. speaker. i rise in support of house resolution 1460, recognizing the important role that pollinators play in the ecosystem and supporting the goals and ideals of national pollinator week. the last week of june is national pollinator week to

show the important role that pollinators play. pollinator week was celebrated with a variety of activities and exhibits across the state. including those at the oxley nature center in tulsa. on a national level, the pollinator partnership has launched a web-based program to highlight specific actions that school groups, farmers, gardeners and others can take to support pollinators. it's important that we bring awareness to the importance of pollinators given the fact that most poll nating species are in -- pollinating species are in decline. one will be a major concern to beekeepers and agriculture communities. over the past several years, the holly bee population has been in decline including the hos lost of habitat, the introduction of diseases and pests and migratory stress. all of these factors have contributed to higher operating costs for the pollinator

industry as well as the agriculture producers who rely on a steady available production of pollinator bees. they add more than $15 billion annually to the value of u.s. crops. with one third of our food supply dependent upon pollination by honey bees, we need to have a solid understanding of c.c.d. and how to eradicate it. i commend researchers from the federal and state level as well as the industry, state universities, state departments of agriculture for coming together under the c.c.d. working group. i'm hopeful that this collective group of experts can get to the bottom of this very important problem. mr. speaker, i urge my colleagues to join me in recognizing the valuable contribution of pleark's pollinator industry by supporting -- america's pollinator industry by supporting house resolution 1460. and i would note to my colleague from california that i have no other speakers and would reserve the balance of my time.

the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves the balance of his time. the gentleman from oklahoma. the gentleman from california. mr. cardoza: thank you, mr. speaker. i thank my colleague from oklahoma, my good friend, for his support of this resolution. at this time i'd like to yield to the author of the resolution, the gentleman from florida who without which his help we would not be able to pass the farm bill in 2008. he's been continuously an advocate for pollinator research and for making sure that specialty crops got their due day in the sun. i yield him as much time as he may consume to the gentleman from florida. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from florida is recognized. mr. hastings: i thank my friend from california for yielding me the time. today the house is going to consider h.res. 1460, which honors national pollinator week. with the efforts of the pollinator partnership, a majority of states and a number of federal agencies, including the department of agriculture, have officially recognized june 21 through 27, 2010, as a time

to reflect upon the importance of and challenges facing these species. the resolution, as offered, acknowledges how vital bees and other pollinators are to our ecosystem and agriculture and supports the goals and ideals of national pollinator week. 75%, as mentioned by my colleagues, of all flowering plant species rely on creatures like birds, bats, bees and butterflies for fertilization. it would be a misconception, however, to think that pollinators are only important to plants and provide little benefit to us. in fact, one out of every three bites of food that we eat as well as $20 billion of products in the united states alone derive from pollinators. in light of those kinds of

figures, the security of our food supply clearly hinges on the survival of these species. national pollinator week is a time to reflect upon these contributions and what we can do to help preserve these animals. on a similar note, mr. speaker, to further emphasize the importance of this issue, i recently participated in co-founding and now co-chairing the national pollinator protection caucus, along with representative tim johnson and representative cardoza and harry brown of south carolina -- north carolina. henry brown. the caucus is a bipartisan source of information and discussion related to how natural, political and economic development impact the security of pollinators and their habitats. last week a briefing on the future of pollinators and in recognition of national

pollinator week was held in conjunction with the caucus and was a tremendous success. we are planning more events and briefings to keep members and their staff informed on this important issue. i urge all of my colleagues to become members of the congressional national pollinator caucus. mr. speaker, national pollinator week provides us with an opportunity to recognize how important pollinators are to the sustainability of our involvement and to our food supply. you know, mr. cardoza, several in my local media and throughout have come forward with all sorts of humor about this. you know, it bees that way and it's the buzz and a whole bunch of these things. i think we all recognize that beyond the humor this is a critically serious matter for the food supply of this nation and indeed of world. therefore, i strongly urge my colleagues to vote in favor of this resolution and i thank you

for yielding the time. thank you, mr. speaker. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from california reserves the balance of his time. the gentleman from oklahoma. >> i what time i might consume simply by thanking my colleagues for their work on this important issue. it does make a tremendous difference in our ecology and certainly with the $15 billion tag for the effect of losing these pollenators on our agriculture economy, it's important to every consumer and pocketbook. with that i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from oklahoma yields back the balance of his time of the the gentleman from california. mr. cardoza: thank you, mr. speaker. i want to again thank my colleague from oklahoma for his gracious advocacy on behalf of this issue and for my colleague from florida. if your media were to be without the product of these bees that would be a news story, mr. hastings.

i want to thank you for your tireless advocacy on behalf of pollenators and behalf of agriculture generally. mr. speaker, i have no further speakers. i yield back the balance of my time. ask for a aye vote. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from california yields back the balance of his time. the question is, will the house suspend the rules and agree to house resolution 1460. 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 gentleman from california. mr. cardoza: mr. speaker, i object to the vote on the grounds that a quorum is not present and make a point of order a quorum is not present. the speaker pro tempore: pursuant to clause 8 of rule 20 , the chair's prior announcement, further proceedings on this motion will be postponed.

the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from georgia seek recognition? mr. lewis: mr. speaker, i move to suspend the rules and pass the bill house bill 5611, a bill to extend the funding and spending authority for the airport and airway trust fund. the speaker pro tempore: the clerk will report the title of the bill. the clerk: h.r. 5611, a bill to amend the internal revenue code of 1986 to extend the funding

and expenditure authorities of the airport and airway trust fund, to amend title 49 united states code to extend authorizations for the airport improvement program, and for other purposes. the speaker pro tempore: pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from georgia, mr. lewis, and the gentleman from kentucky, mr. davis, each will control 20 minutes. the chair now recognizes the gentleman from georgia. mr. lewis: thank you, mr. speaker. mr. speaker, may i ask for unanimous consent to give members five legislative days to revise and extend their remarks on the bill, house bill 5611. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, so ordered. mr. lewis: mr. speaker, i yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from georgia is recognized, mr. lewis. mr. lewis: mr. speaker, i rise in strong support of house bill 5611, the airport and airway extension act part 2. as you know the trust fund taxes and spending authority is

scheduled to expire on july 3. this bill simply extends the authority one more month while we work together on a long-term solution. as travel plays a crucial and critical role in our economy and our lives. the world business airport, atlanta international airport is located in my congressional district. this airport alone has a direct impact on more than $32.5 billion on the state of georgia economy. at a time when we are considering the importance of jobs and job creation, i would like to note that the airport is the second largest employer in georgia with 58,000 workers. if congress does not pass the bill, the trust fund loose the

revenue we need for airport construction and the nation's air traffic control system. mr. speaker, i ask all of my colleagues to come together and support this bipartisan legislation. thank you, mr. speaker. i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from georgia reserves the balance of his time. the gentleman from kentucky. mr. davis: thank you, mr. speaker. i yield myself such time as i may consume. i rise also in support of h.r. 5611 and ask unanimous consent to revise and extend my remarks. mr. speaker, this is straightforward and noncontroversial bill to extend for one month to august 1 the existing f.a.a. authorization law, the excise taxes that support the airport and airway trust fund and the trust fund's expenditure authorities. the current f.a.a. authorization as well as the excise taxes and spending authorities are currently scheduled to expire on july 3. this extension will give

congress additional time to consider longer term f.a.a. re-authorization legislation and to determine whether modifications to the financing structure of the airport and airway trust fund are appropriate. i note, mr. speaker, that on march 25, 2010, the house passed a senate amendment to h.r. 1586, a four-year f.a.a. re-authorization with an additional amendment and the two chambers are continuing to work to resolve their differences. well, the house passed version of that broader legislation remains controversial for reasons unrelated to the provision within the ways and means committee jurisdiction. i'm pleased to report that the short-term extension we are considering today is supported by the bipartisan leadership of both the ways and means and the transportation and infrastructure committees. it's important we take this step to extend the current f.a.a. authorization and its related excise taxes and expenditure authorities on a temporary basis. i'm pleased to join with my colleagues across the aisle in support of this legislation. with that i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from kentucky reserves the balance of his

time. the gentleman from georgia. mr. lewis: mr. speaker, i yield as much time as he may consume the gentleman from illinois, chairman of aviation subcommittee, mr. costello. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from illinois, mr. costello, is recognized. mr. costello: mr. speaker, i rise in support of h.r. 5611 the airport and air wray extension act of 2010 part 2. i want to thank my friend, mr. lewis, from the ways and means committee for yielding time to me to allow me to speak on this important legislation. i thank chairman oberstar, ranking member mica, ranking member mr. petri for working with me and all of us together to bring this bill to the floor today. for the past three months we have been working in a bipartisan manner with our friends in the other body to bring a comprehensive federal aviation administration re-authorization bill to the floor. we have worked through the majority of both bills and only a few issues remain. the bill before us today, h.r. 5611, will provide a short

one-month extension of the f.a.a. re-authorization bill through august 1, 2010 to allow us to finish our work before we adjourn for the august district work period. this is a clean extension. primarily h.r. 5611 extends aviation taxes to support the airport and airways trust fund which funds a large portion of the f.a.a.'s budget. the bill also extends the airport improvement program contract authority to allow airports to continue critical safety and capacity enhancement projects. aviation is critically important to our nation's economy, contributing $1.2 trillion in output and approximately 11.4 million jobs to allow the taxes or funding for critical aviation programs to expire. congress must ensure this extension passes today to ensure our aviation system is not disrupted and continues to function safely. mr. speaker, i urge my colleagues to support this legislation and again i thank my friend from georgia, mr.

lewis, for yielding me time. i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. the gentleman from georgia reserves. the gentleman from kentucky. mr. davis: thank you, mr. speaker. with that i'd like to yield such time as he may consume to the distinguished gentleman from wisconsin, mr. petri. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from wisconsin is recognized. mr. petri: i thank my colleague, representative davis from kentucky, for yielding me this time. i also would like to--my subcommittee chairman, mr. costello, and chairman, mr. observer starks -- mr. oberstar, and my colleague, mr. mica from florida, have been working on this conference and on this legislation now for longer than we would have liked. it's too bad we have to do what will be our, i guess, 14th or 15th extension of the existing

law, but it's unfortunately necessary to do that to give us time to complete work on the conference which actually is well under way. -- underway. in way of last year we passed the re-authorization act of 2009, h.r. 915. this markser march the -- march the senate passed its own bill which the house took up, amended, passed, and sent back to the senate. while a conference has not been called, staff from both chambers have been in informal discussions for months to reconcile the two versions of the bill. all these discussion vs. led to tentative agreements on the vast majority of provisions, and have been -- there have been good work on both sides of the aisle on this. the number of controversial issues have stalled progress on a final agreement. disappointed myself that several issues unrelated to

important safety and modernization provisions and re-authorization package are holding up final agreement on this legislation. nevertheless, in order to allow the f.a.a. to continue operating uninterrupted, support passage of the bill before us to extend f.a.a.'s funding and program authorization. h.r. 5611, the bill before us, would extend the taxes, programs, and funding of the f.a.a. to august 1 of this year. this bill provides just over $3.5 billion in airport improvement funding, extends the insurance program, and extends other authorities related to small community air service, and safety programs. it will ensure our national aerospace system continues to operate and f.a.a. continues to fund important airport projects while the congress completes action on a final re-authorization. i urge my colleagues to take advantage of these extra 30 days to reach compromise on the

few remaining controversial provisions in the f.a.a. bill. this bill contains critical safety provisions that must not be delayed any longer. we owe it to the families of flight 340 and the traveling public to reach agreement and send a good bicameral, bipartisan f.a.a. bill to our president. with that i yield -- urge my colleagues to support h.r. 5611 . i thank my colleague from kentucky for yielding me time. and yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from wisconsin yields back the balance of his time. the gentleman from kentucky. mr. davis: does the gentleman have -- i reserve, mr. speaker. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from kentucky reserves. the gentleman from georgia. mr. lewis: mr. speaker, i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves. the gentleman from kentucky. mr. davis: does the gentleman have any further speakers? mr. lewis: we do not have any further speakers. mr. davis: i thank the

gentleman. mr. speaker, i yield myself such time as i may consume to close. just to reiterate this is very important to continue this extension. it's been achieved in a bipartisan manner. i wholeheartedly support it and encourage my colleagues to vote yes. with that i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from kentucky yields back the balance of his time. the gentleman from georria. -- -- mr. lewis: mr. speaker, there being no more speakers i'm prepared to close. mr. speaker, i fully support house bill 5611. i urge my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to vote yes for this important legislation. and with that, mr. speaker, i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from georgia yields back the balance of his time. the question is, will the house suspend the rules and pass h.r. 5611. so many as are in favor say aye. those opposed, no. in the opinion of the chair, 2/3 of those voting having responded in the affirmative, the rules are suspended, the bill is passed, and without

objection the motion to reconsider is laid upon the table. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from wisconsin seek recognition? >> mr. speaker, i move to suspend the rules and call up h.r. 5522, the firearms excise tax improvement act of 2010 as amended. the speaker pro tempore: the

clerk will report the title of the bill. the clerk: h.r. 5552, a bill to amend the internal revenue code of 1986 to require that the payment of the manufacturers excise tax on recreational equipment be paid quarterly and to provide for the assessment by the secretary of the treasury of certain criminal restitution. the speaker pro tempore: pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from wisconsin, mr. kind, and the gentleman from wisconsin, mr. ryan, each will control 20 minutes. the chair now recognizes the gentleman from wisconsin. mr. kind: thank you, mr. speaker. mr. speaker, i also ask in addition at that all members have five legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and insert extraneous material into the record. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, so ordered. mr. kind: thank you, mr. speaker. i yield myself such timed a i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. kind: thank you, mr. speaker. today i rise in support of h.r. 5552, the firearms excise tax improvement act of tweb 2010. it's a bill that i introduced with 54 bipartisan co-sponsors along with my friend and colleague from wisconsin, mr. ryan, that will strengthen

wildlife concentration funding in america by strengthening firearm manufacturers grow their businesses. h.r. 5552 changes the payment schedule for firearm and ammunition manufacturers to a quarterly schedule like every other industry in the country. the bill would also allow the i.r.s. to collect restitution debt that has been court ordered to be paid in criminal tax cases. this ledge slathes will allow for the -- this legislation will save money for businesses, increase investment in wildlife conservation and make consistent the payment of excise tax across all industries, all of which is paid for and fully compliant with pay as you go d budgeting rules. threals a very broad and bipartisan support from both sides of the aisle. this legislation is supported by every major conservation group, along with the firearms industry. it is a win-win-win for families, businesses,

conservation efforts across the country. i've long been a supporter of conservation efforts. as a former co-chair of the congressional sportsmen's caucus, i'm pleased with this. it continues to contribute critical funding, ensuring natural resources are protected for future generations. i regularly enjoy spending outdoors with my family, especially my two little boys. the ability to enjoy outdoor recreational activities like hunting and fishing are not only important for our peace of mind but back home in wisconsin it also contributes over $9.7 billion annually to the wisconsin economy and supports 129,000 jobs generating $570 million in annual state tax revenue. i'm sure this is a story that we can talk about from state to state to state. also companies in wisconsin that manufacture, distribute and sell firearms, ammunition and hunting equipment employ as many as

2,050 people in the state and generates an additional 2,300 jobs. across the nation these companies employ as many as 183,000 people. not only does the manufacturing and sale of firearms and hunting supplies create jobs but the industry also contributes to the economy as a whole. the 2010 firearms and ammunition industry was responsible for as much as $27.8 billion in total economic activity throughout the country. the firearm and ammunition excise tax is the major resk knew source for funding the wildlife restoration trust fund also known as the pitman-robertson trust fund. last year firearm and ammunition manufacturers contributed approximately $450 million to wildlife conservation through the excise tax payments. all the industry is asking to do, mr. speaker, is change the biweekly reporting requirement of the excise tax to a quarterly requirement just like every other industry. there are stories that were brought to my attention that

some of the smaller manufacturers actually had to take out loans in order to meet the biweekly excise tax rimplets right now which interrupts their cash flow and makes it tough for them to reinvent in their business, expanding their operations, hiring more people. we're just fixing that anomaly with this legislation. i want to thank my friend, my colleague from wisconsin, for his support of this legislation as well as the chair and ranking member of the ways and means committee and the staff for helping us get this legislation in order. i'd also like to express my sincere gratitude to the various groups who provide invaluable feedback on this legislation, in particular the national shooting sports foundation, the congress-sportsmen foundation, the n.r.a., ducks unlimited and many, many others. i urge my colleagues to support this legislation and i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from wisconsin reserves the balance of his time. the gentleman from wisconsin. mr. ryan: mr. chairman, i'd like to yield myself as much time as

i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. ryan: mr. speaker, i want to echo the sentiment from my friend and colleague from wisconsin. we introduced this legislation together. we have 76 co-sponsors. it's a very simple issue. number one, we have a pitman-robertson fund which is a user fee for hunting and fishing. you buy firearms, you buy ammunition, there's an excise tax that is paid which goes to the trust fund for conservation and habitat management. as a co-chair of the sportsmen's caucus here in congress, the largest bipartisan caucus in congress, to the make sure we protect not only hunting and fishing rights but also hunting and fishing habitat and there's a 1/2ue in the the law here and that's what we're -- and there's a snafu in the law and that's what we're trying to clear up. most of pitman-robertson taxes are collected on a quarterly basis. unfortunately, though, with respect to ammunition and firearms, it's donn on a biweekly by a sills. that is a huge unnecessary

burden for manufacturers. there's a lots of small manufacturers, premium shotguns, you name it, there are lots of small manufacturers out there and they don't get the cash flow to their business to be able to pay this excise tax on this biweekly basis. they don't get the money from the retailers in time to cover the tax expenses and therefore what's happening is we're making these manufacturers, especially the smaller ones, have to go out and get loans in order to pay the excise taxes. all this simply does is it harmonizes the tax payment schedule to jive with the other excise taxes that are paid into the pitman-robertson fund to a quarterly basis. that simple. so let's take away this very burdensome regulation this very burdensome tax compliance regime on small and large manufacturers of firearms and ammunition, harmonize it with the rest of the pitman-robertson excise tax collection system and make sure that these small businesses, which are really struggling,

which are the backbone of the conservation funding system, which are huge providers of jobs and recreation in states like wisconsin and all throughout america, let's just get this cleaned up, let's pass it, it's bipartisan, it's paid for, this is one of those issues that's rare these days, where we come together to get something that makes perfect common sense. with that i'll reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves the balance of his time. the gentleman from wisconsin. mr. kind: mr. speaker, i have no further requests for time. i'm prepared to yield back unless my colleague has someone else he wants to recognize. mr. ryan: i've got a couple. i'll yield to the gentleman from connecticut -- kentucky, mr. davis. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from kentucky is recognized. mr. davis: thank you, mr. speaker. i rise today in support of h.r. 5552, the firearms excise tax improvement act of 2010. a bill to modify the due date for the payment of certain manufacturers' excise taxes and those included on firearms and ammunition. the bill has the support of members on both sides of the aisle as well as the n.r.a. and a number of wildlife conservation groupless.

this bill is a commonsense fix that will simplify the manner in which manufacturers make payments for excise taxes which help to finance the pitman-robertson conservation fund. the current schedule requires biweekly deposits owed on the excise taxes. that creates an undue burden on our many small sporting goods and sportsmen outlets, places like garrett's guns and mark's guns, just in my local community that support the sportsmen community, hunters and shooters that give a lot back, particularly in the maintenance of the nature areas where they work. these biweekly tax payments are expensive, they create additional overhead and frankly this time-consuming process consumes dollars that in fact could be used for job creation on the outside. we believe it could free up as much as $22 million for these businesses, especially the small businesses, to grow, to hire jobs, and to have a more positive affect on their community. as well as expanding a base of additional customers for that excise tax in the long run. it's a great bill, it's

supported by all the associated parties. i urge my colleagues to adopt this sensible measure and 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 wisconsin. mr. ryan: at this time, mr. speaker, i'd like to yield such time as he may consume to the distinguished senior member of the ways and means committee, the gentleman from california, mr. herger. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from california is recognized. mr. herger: thank you, mr. speaker. i thank my friend from wisconsin. yesterday the supreme court delivered a victory for our constitutional freedoms by upholding the right of individual citizens to keep an bear arms. to fully honor the second amendment, we must also be vigilant against regulations that place unnecessary burdens on manufacturers of guns and ammunition. the requirement for manufacturers that pay federal excise tax biweekll+y is costly and does not improve tax

compliance or public safety. h.r. 5552 is a commonsense bill that doesn't add to the deficit and will help ensure law-abiding americans have access to american-made firearms. it is supported by the n.r.a. and a number of hunting and conservation groups. i urge the passage of this legislation. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from wisconsin. mr. ryan: does the gentleman from wisconsin have any additional speakers? ok. i'll just simply wrap up then. mr. speaker, i'll yield myself the remainder of the time. this is a commonsense solution that ought to be paced -- passed. it harmonizes the schedule. it takeses a burden off of businesses and i think the gentleman from california put it well, yesterday we saw a great strike for liberty from the supreme court where they reaffirmed the individuals' rights to keep and bear arms in this country. that is now an issue that has been set by the supreme court,

where individuals have rights in this nation and that the job of government is to protect our equal and natural rights. so i think it's very fitting that this, on the day after the supreme court reaffirmed the individual's right to keep and bear arms, regardless of where they live in america, as citizens of america, that we ought to help ease this burden on the manufacturers of firearms and of ammunition so that they can get back to the business not of just tax collecting on a biweekly basis but of producing, of selling, of creating jobs and of getting this country moving again and with that, mr. speaker, i'd like to yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlemmn from wisconsin, mr. ryan, yields back the balance of his time. the gentleman from wisconsin. mr. kind: thank you, mr. speaker. i yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. kind: mr. speaker, in conclusion i want to again thank my colleagues, mr. ryan, and those on the ways and means committee, for their strong support of the bill. it has received bipartisan support. i'm not aware of any opposition by any of my colleagues to this legislation. there is a broad coalition of

support outside congress between the conservation and outdoor recreation community, along with the firearms industry. many people who do care about those opportunities that we enjoyed, the shooting sports but also hunting, fishing, recreation. this merely corrects, as my colleague pointed out, an anomaly which has existed in the tax code for too long. it's not fair to single out one industry for a biweekly reporting requirement when everyone else has a quarterly reporting requirement. and quite frankly cash flow problems have been an issue and that's why it was brought to our attention, at a time when the economy is languishing, when we need to be working with businesses, large and small, to be able to expand job-creating opportunities, this bill is a small step in achieving that. so, i would encourage my colleagues to support the bill and i'd yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from wisconsin, mr. kind, yields the balance of his time. the question is will the house suspend the rules and pass h.r. 5552 as amended. those in favor say aye.

those opposed, no. in the opinion of the chair, 2/3 of those voting having responded in the affirmative, the rules are suspended and the bill is passed and without objection the motion to reconsider is laid on the table. mr. kind: mr. speaker, with that i'd request the yeas and nays. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from wisconsin. 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. and pursuant to clause 8 of rule 20, the chair's prior announcement, further proceedings on this motion will be postponed. the speaker pro tempore: for

what purpose does the gentleman from michigan seek recognition? mr. levin: mr. speaker, i move to suspend the rules and pass h.r. 5623 as amended. the speaker pro tempore: the clerk will report the title of the bill. the clerk: h.r. 5623, a bill to amend the internal revenue code of 1986 to extend the homebuyer tax credit for the purchase of a principle residence before october 1, 2010, in the case of a written, binding contract entered into with respect to such principle residents before may 1, 2010, and for other purposes. the speaker pro tempore: pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from michigan, mr. levin, and the gentleman from kentucky, mr. davis, each will control 20 minutes. the chair now recognizes the gentleman from michigan, mr. levin. . mr. levin: millions of american families have taken advantage of the home buyer tax credit, giving a much needed boost to home sales at a time when our

housing market needed it most. in a word, this tax credit has worked. it gave a boost to our economic recovery. and it held first-time buyers -- helped first-time buyers to achieve their dream, american dream of owning a home. today's legislation helps ensure the credit works for people who have followed the terms of the incentive. under current law taxpayers are -- thatn'tered into a written binding contract to purchase a home prior to may 1, 2010, are eligible for the home buyer tax credit so long as the sale is completed prior to july 1, 2010. the bill would extend this closing date to prior to july 1, 2010, to prior to october 1, 2010. as a result, taxpayers that entered into a written binddng contract prior to may 1, 2010,

will have until september 30, 2010, and i emphasize that, until september 30, 2010 to complete their home purchase trans,s. this legislation also takes important steps to eliminate instances of fraud that were recently discovered by the treasury inspector general for tax administration relating to prison inmates. last year the oversight subcommittee chair, mr. lewis, took the lead in examining issues of abuse. and this clearly is one. so this bill addresses this abuse very effectively. mr. speaker, this legislation is a necessary step to extend this benefit to those who qualify and the need to facilitate their purchases and also it addresses the issue of fraud.

this legislation is fully paid for and i strongly encourage my colleagues to support the bill and follow through on our commitment to thousands and thousands of home buyers who have followed the rules and now should be able to follow through with their purchase. i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from michigan reserves the balance of his time. the gentleman from kentucky. mr. davis: mr. speaker, i yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized, mr. davis. mr. davis: i rise in support of h.r. 5623 and ask unanimous consent to revise and extend my remarks. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, so ordered. mr. davis: last november congress extended the home buyer credit, mr. speaker, for buyers who entered into a binding contract by the end of april of this year but only if they closed on their house by the end of june. i agee with my colleague from michigan on the need for this extension, but only those who close on their houses by the end of june would be eligible. the slow grinding gears of bureaucracy have left many potential home buyers who could build equity and build for the

future out in the cold on this and by doing this extension we buy an appropriate amount of time for those who signed contracts by the april deadline but haven't closed yet to close. in short, we need more time. this bill does not extend the deadline for signing a contract to buy a home. the contract still must have been signed before the deadline at the end of april but it does provide relief for those home buyers who haven't been able to close but who might be depending on the tax credit for the down payment for closing costs. it's unfair to leave those home buyers in limbo. tonight the tax credit do cause the deal to collapse which would put downward pressure on home prices and exacerbate problems with the housing market. i'm pleased to see this bill responds to a recrept report from the treasury inspector general for tax administration that found almost 1,300 incarcerated prisoners claimed over $9 million in tax credits for homes purchased in prison. the bill would improve information sharing between the i.r.s. and state prison system so the i.r.s. can obtain

information on just who is claiming. refundable tax credits attractp fraud and we need to do better to prevent peopll from claiming benefits. i think this legislation includes sensible changes to improve the administration of the home buyer tax credit and i urge an aye vote. i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from kentucky reserves the balance of his time. the gentleman from michigan. mr. levin: mr. speaker, it's now my special privilege to yield two minutes to the congresswoman from pennsylvania, kathy dahlkemper. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman from pennsylvania is recognized. mr. dahlkemper: mr. speaker, i rise today in support of my bill, h.r. 5623, the home buyers assistance and improvement act of 2010. i particularly would like to thank the leader, chairman levin, and particular for helping advance this legislation which will extend tomorrow's closing deadline to those eligible for the home buyers tax credit. the national association of realtors estimates that 180,000 families, including over 5,800

in my home state of pennsylvania alone, signed contracts for new homes by their april 30 deadline but have not yet finished their closing. one realtor in my district estimated that there are 20 of these such closings which have not been able to be completed yet. due to the turmoil in the housing market and overwhelming success of the tax credit, lenders in federal programs have not been able to keep up with the demand and that's what's created the backlog. the home buyer assistance and improvement act will provide time to clear this bottleneck and make sure that these new homeowners are not punished for delays that are out of their control. as our economy continues on a slow yet steady path toward recovery, we have a responsibility to promote policies that aid in that growth. the home buyers assistance and improvement act will do just that. so i urge my colleagues to support h.r. 5623 and i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the

gentlewoman yields the balance of the time. the gentleman from michigan reserves. the gentleman from kentucky. mr. davis: thank you, mr. speaker. i would like to recognize distinguished member of the ways and means committee, the gentleman from california, mr. herger, yield to him such time as he may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from california is recognized. mr. herger: thank you, mr. speaker. i rise to applaud the inclusion of this bill and provision that enhances information sharing between the i.r.s. and state prisons. recently the treasury inspector general for tax administration issued a report finding that at least 1,295 prisoners received $9.1 million in home buyer tax credit for homes they reported purchasing while incarcerated. we must put a stop to this fraud. i'm a long time supporter of increased data sharing among agencies to ensure that prisoners do not illegally

obtain taxpayer funded benefits. in the 1996 welfare reform bill, i championed a program that authorized incentive payments to institutions for providing information on newly incarcerated individuals. this data sharing gave the social security administration the information they needed to prevent checks from going to jail beneficiaries, saving taxpayers over $5 billion. currently the i.r.s. shares information with federal prisons but not state prisons. the bill before us would change that and i support its passage. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. the gentleman from kentucky reserves. the gentleman from michigan. mr. levin: first, mr. speaker,

i ask unanimous consent that all members may have five legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and insert any extraneous material in the congressional record. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, so ordered. mr. levin: now it's my privilege to yield two minutes to the very vigorous representative from nevada, congresswoman titus. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman from nevada is recognized for two minutes. ms. titus: thank you, mr. speaker. thank you, mr. chairman. i rise today in support of the home builders assistance and improvement act of 2010. the first time home buyer tax credit has helped bring stability to the struggling housing market in southern nevada. in total, over 25,000 nevadans have collected about $200 million from the credit which is dramatically reduced the state excess housing inventory. in southern nevada, short sales have become more and more common as lenders and owners are able to avoid the arduous and costly process of foreclosure and buyers can then purchase a home slightly below

market value. unlike a traditional sale of property between an owner and buyer, short sales must be approved by the holder of the mortgage. in many cases although a purchase price is agreed to by the seller and buyer, the lender may not approve the sale for months. certainly this has been the case in nevada. as a result, many first-time home buyers have entered into an agreement for short sale prior to the april 30 deadline, but have not yet been able to close on the purchase price prior to the upcoming june 30 deadline. according to local experts, the home buyers assistance and improvement act of 2010 before us now will extend to october 1 the date by which purchasers must close the sale on a home in order to obtain a home buyer tax credit. and this will allow approximately 3,800 first-time home buyers in southern nevada to receive the credit. it's a fair solution that will help consumers who met all the

eligibility requirements for the credit but have had the timely process of their loans held up. so i thank the chairman for his assistance in moving this forward. i urge my colleagues to support the legislation and i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady yields back the balance of her time of the the gentleman from michigan reserves. the gentleman from kentucky. mr. davis: thank you, mr. speaker. ppi'd like to recognize distinguished member of the ways and means committee, the gentlewoman from florida, ms. brown-waite, for such time as she may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman from florida is recognized. ms. brown-waite: i thank the gentleman from kentucky. mr. speaker, i rise today in support of the bill before us, the home buyers assistance and improvement act of 2010. for reasons known only to them, our democrat colleagues in the senate have been unable or unwilling to reach a compromise addressing the bipartisan concerns about the bundle of extensions still pending across the capital.

due to this failure of basic leadership, the narble flood insurance program was allowed to expire as well as a number of other programs. i mention the flood insurance program specifically because realtors in my district are calling my office morning, noon, and night on behalf of clients who cannot close on their new homes without an extension in the flood insurance program. remember, it's florida. you need f%ood insurance. supsly, quite a few of these individuals will be missing the home buyer tax credit that they were told they would qualify for. say what you will about the tax credit, but in my view if the government says it's going to do something, like anybody else, it better follow through. and frankly at this point i'm not sure that the democrat majority is even capable of doing that. you can't muster up enough votes to ram your agenda through despite opposition from your own members or you're faced with the prospect of

actually having to pay for something, isn't that unique? this government comes to a creaching halt. on those issues my constituents and i think is labor bral meltdown is a blessing but on matters of families and small business vs. made financial decisions based on expectations that the government would keep its word, we do demand and deserve action. my colleagues on the other side of the aisle have control of the white house and both houses -- they have the majority in both houses of congress. they need to stop blaming everybody else and get their act together for the sake of the american people. i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman yields back the balance of her time. the gentleman from kentucky. the gentleman from kentucky reserves. the gentleman from michigan. mr. levin: before i recognize

the next distinguished gentleman, i just sit here and even on a bipartisan supported bill, we get such partisan rhetoric. i hope everybody listens to it. it's my privilege to yield two minutes from the very active member of congress from the proud state of mississippi, mr. childers, for two minutes, or further than that if you wish. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from mississippi, mr. childers, is recognized. mr. childers: thank you, mr. speaker. thank you, mr. chairman. i rise today also in support of the home buyers assistance and improvement act. this bill is important for home buyers who met the requirements of the first-time home buyer tax credit program but are now not able to close on their new home due to circumstances out of their control.

with the passage of this act, over 1,500 home buyers in my great state of mississippi will be able to take advantage of the home buyers tax credit program. making homes more affordable for families and individuals and creating much needed jobs. as a vet ran for over 30 years, i have seen firsthand the ups and downs associated with the housing market. recent signs of recovery in the market are certainly encouraging, but we must volume through and sustain the progress linked to the initial benefits of the home buyer tax credits. . i urge commy colleagues to support this bill -- colleagues to support this bill -- urge my colleagues to support this bill. i yield back the balance of my time and i thank the chairman. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. the gentleman from michigan reserves. the gentleman from kentucky. >> mr. speaker, i'd like to inquire if the gentleman has any more speakers. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from michigan.

mr. levin: i reserve the balance of my time. so you can close and then i will. >> i was just inquiring if the gentleman had any more speakers with that, mr. speaker, i would encourage all of my speakers to support this, to continue and extends this program for those who signed up before the april 30 close and with that i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from kentucky reserves -- i mean, yields the balance of his time. the gentleman from michigan. mr. levin: first, mr. speaker, i ask unanimous consent that it be entered into the record, a letter from the chairman of the homeland security committee, mr. thompson, to me, dated june 29, 2010, and a letter from me as chairman of the ways and means committee to mr. thompson. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, so ordered. mr. levin: i can close very briefly. this bill is meritorious. it deserves bipartisan support and i hope very much it will receive it.

we owe this to the people who have essentially followed the rules, who are caught by a closing date. this is a credit that's often questioned about, is the effort of the recovery program and like programs working? this is an example of it working and in fact working so actively that now it's necessary and i think correct that we make sure that people who have advantaged themselves of it correctly are able to follow through. so i urge a strong vote 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 michigan. the question is now, will the house suspend the rules and pass h.r. 5623 as amended. those in favor say aye. those opposed, no. in the opinion of the chair, 2/3 of those voting having responded in the affirmative, the rules are suspended -- mr. levin: mr. speaker. on that qui the yeas and nays --

on that i request the yeas and nays. the speaker pro tempore: the yeas and nays are requested. all those in favor of taking thii vote by the yeas and nays will rise and remain standing until counted. a sufficient number having arisen, the yeas and nays are ordered. pursuant to clause 8 of rule 20 and the chair's prior announcement, further proceedings on this motion will be postponed. the speaker pro tempore: for what purppse does the gentleman from pennsylvania seek recognition? >> mr. speaker, i move to suspend the rules and agree to house resolution 115 about as introduced. the speaker pro tempore: the clerk will report the title of the resolution. the clerk: house resolution 1153, resolution recognizing the heroic efforts of the west virginia national guard and

local responders for their work rescuing 17 individuals from a downed military helicopter on a rugged snow-covered mountain. the speaker pro tempore: pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from pennsylvania, mr. -- the gentleman from pennsylvania is recognized. >> i yield myself such time as i might consume and i ask unanimous consent that all members have five legislative days within which to revise and extend their remarks on the resolution under consideration. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, so ordered. >> mr. speaker, i rise today in support of house resolution 1153, recognizing the heroic efforts of the west virginia national guard and local responders for their work rescuing 17 people from a downed military helicopter on a rocky snow-covered mountain on the county line. i would like to thank my colleague from west virginia, mr. rahall, for putting this resolution together. mr. speaker, i would like to spend this time recognizing the individuals and organizations involved in the execution of

this tremendous rescue. on february 18, 2010, a west virginia army national guard h. hh-60 blackhawk helicopter, skillfully piloted by a native of virginia, located the downed aircraft in extremely difficult circumstances. the snow and ice of the line at the time was treacherous and the valor of him should be commended by all. i'd like to thank specialist dunfy, flight medics. sergeant hopkins and dunfy were lowered to the site to provide medical care throughout the night as rescue workers labored their way to the survivors. thanks are also deserved to the pilot of the 130th airlift wing of the west virginia national guard who assisted by orbiting the crash site in a c-130 hercules aircraft in order to facilitate vital communication. volunteer, civilian service men

and women alike all gave their hand to rescue the survivors. the snowshoe mountain ski resort provided invaluable machinery and staff to help. local people donated snowmobiles. the fire and rescue unit were instrumental in using special equipment and snowmobiles to clear a path to the location of the crash. the valley had fire -- the valleyhead fire department, the ambulance, white sulfur springs e.m.s. and green bank national radio astronomy observatory staff provided vital support for the effort. in addition, the pocahontas county west virginia state police, poke han as it county sheriff's department, poke han as it county 911 -- pocahontas county 911 also helped. the support they provided was also invaluable. finally, the volunteer fire and

rescue made a valiant attempt to approach the crash site from the north side with support from the west virginia department of natural resources and highways, neighboring randolph and tucker county sheriff departments and e.m.s. units and volunteer fire departments and the american red cross. mr. speaker, this resolution acknowledges and thanks the west virginia national guard, local first responders and volunteers around the area for their successful efforts to rescue the 17 individuals. house resolution 1153 recognizes the courage, ability and determination of west virginians. i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from pennsylvania reserves the balance of his time. the gentleman from maryland, mr. bartlett. mr. barton: mr. speaker, i yield myself such -- mr. bartlett: mr. speaker, i yield myself such time as i may consume. i rise in strong support of this resolution which recognizes the heroic efforts of the west virginia national guard and local responders for rescuing 17

persons from a navy helicopter that crashed in the wintry mountains of that state in february of this year. i want to commend representative nick rahall far sponsoring this legislation. this incident, precipitated when a navy helicopter was forced down a remote mountainous terrain, shows what's best about the national guard and their ability to work with local civilian responders in crisis situations. without the rapid integrated response of the west virginia army and air national guard, the volunteer efforts of local citizens, the support of local emergency management services and perseverance of state and local fire and rescue services and agencies, 17 people could have died from their injuries and from exposure. thankfully there were people at every level of government who were trained, equipped and prepared to respond. this resolution specifically honors those citizens of west virginia. but it is shhh should also remind each member to express appreciation to the people in our own states and districts,

selfless americans who willingly sacrifice their comfort and safety for others in my own district, guards men and women have adopted a flexible plug and play organization model that enables members to report to the closest armory in time of emergency. thereby eliminating the overall response time in the events like the unprecedented snowfalls experienced this winter, the round the clock vigilance shows. thus it is fitting that we honor and thank the soldiers and airmen of the natural national guard, the first responders around our nation, who step forward to save and serve their fellow citizens. i urge all members to support this resolution and i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from maryland reserves the balance of his time. the gentleman from pennsylvania. >> i yield such time as i may consume to my friend and colleague and the sponsor of this resolution, the gentleman from west virginia, mr. rahall.

the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from west virginia is recognized. mr. rahall: thank you, mr. speaker. first commend the gentleman from pennsylvania, mr. chris, for his invaluable support in helping us bring this resolution to the floor today. and i know that it is a special recognition to a special group of people. i do support the heroic efforts of our west virginia national guard, our local responders, and would urge my colleague to support the pending resolution. i have personally visited with the national guard members mentioned here and the local responders and members of the barto, frank and -- hen communities, volunteer fire departments in poke hons to county a couple of months -- pocahontas county a couple of months ago. the heroic actions of west virginias brought about the highly successful rescue of 17 military personnel who were onboard a u.s. navy helicopter, participating in the operation south-bound trooper x annual

military exercise which went down in deep snow-covered and very rugged terrain in pocahontas county, west virginia. the remarkable rescue was an outstanding and highly coordinated effort on the part of many highly trained professionals as well as private citizens who worked under very difficult conditions to reach the crew and personnel on board the aircraft. many of whom had been injured in the crash. west virginians are the best neighbors for whom you could ever wish. it is a truth, it has been proven time and again. this historic rescue effort was thankfully a rare event. but it was not at all, not at all out of character for our state of west virginia. in fact, it was merely illustrative of the best of our state. the swift response, the astounding skills and abilities, the enormous courge, the enormous courage and profound determination of all those involved in the rescue operation

from those who serve in and lead our west virginia national guard to our local fire, rescue, law enforcement and first responder units. and the countless volunteers, families and neighbors nearby, most certainly made the difference between life and death. while no expression of gratitude would ever be sought in such selfless acts, the hope that one would go -- that one good turn has another. on behalf of my fellow west virginian, on behalf of my colleague from the neighboring district, we are pleased to support h.res. 1153, to honor these good deeds and to eliminate them as a beacon for others. i would ask that my fellow members join in support of this resolution. i again thank the gentleman from pennsylvania, mr. chris, for his invaluable support as well. i yield back to him. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from west virginia yields back the time. the gentleman from pennsylvania reserves. the gentleman from maryland.

mr. bartlett: mr. speaker, i yield sufficient time as i she may consume to the gentlelady from west virginia, an original sponsor of this resolution. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman from west virginia is recognized. mrs. capito: thank you. i'd like to thank the gentleman from maryland and my particular member of the delegation, mr. rahall, for bringing this resolution, 1153, forward. the occurrence of this crash was straddled two of our counties. his is pocahontas and mine is randolph. we both know very well that we don't call west virginia wild and wonderful for any reason. this is one of the wildest parts of our beautiful state and so i want to be -- to offer my congratulations to the brave men and women of the 130th airlift wing which is headquartered in charleston, west virginia, in my district, and all the first responders and citizens who helped with this rescue.

as we've heard, the major hazuka of west virginia of the 130th national guard discovered the navy kitty hawk helicopter which had crashed over randolph and pockhon as it county in terrible weather conditions -- pocahontas county in terrible weather conditions. they acted very quickly and i'd also like to honor army national guard flight medics, staff sergeant nicole hopkins and specialist kasey duncy who were lowered to the landing site to give emergency medical care and help cood part in -- coordinate the efforts. the 130th airlift wing represents the best of west virginia and their response to this crash further establishes their importance to the state and as my colleague from west virginia so eloquently put it, it didn't surprise any of us. this unit and those around our state and around this nation are known for their willingness to step up when they're most needed but the terrain and the weather in that -- on that particular day was incredibly dangerous.

i know my colleague from pennsylvania mentioned all of the different units of first responders that responded that day, but i would like to repeat their names. the west virginia civil air patrol, the valley head fire department, the northern greenbrier e.m.s., greenbrier county ambulance, cash rescue and the green banks a stronmy observatory which is close to pocahontas county. i'd also like to thank the snowshoe resort for their willingness to share equipment. we also had the pocahontas county emergency management, west virginia state police, pocahontas county sheriff's department, pocahontas county 911, u.s. forest service, barto, frank, durbin fire and rescue along with department of natural resources and sheriff departments from the surrounding areas. as you can see, it was a collegial effort, an enormous effort and one that really, when

we first received the news of this accident over our local television and radio stations, really had us on the edge of our seats because i think we knew how treacherous a rescue in this area could be at this time of the year. i'd like to say congratulations, again i'd like to thank my colleague, mr. rahall, for bringing this resolution forward and i'd like to ask my colleagues to join in congratulating not only our first responders and national guard but thank their local and ssate and national guard and first responders for all the work they do voluntarily every day for our benefit. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman from west virginia yields. the gentleman from maryland reserves. the gentleman from pennsylvania. . mr. kris: i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from maryland. mr. bartlett: i have no further speakers and i'm ready to yield back if the gentleman is ready to close. mr. rahall: i'm ready to close.

mr. bartlett: i yield back. the gentleman from pennsylvania. mr. kris: mr. speaker, i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. the question is, will the house suspend the rules and agree to house resolution 1153. 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 upon the table. pursuant to clause 8 of rule 20, proceedings will resume on motions to suspend the rules previously postponed. votes will be taken in the following order. h.r. 5618, house resolution

1244, h.r. 5552, and h.r. 5623, in each case by the yeas and nays. remaining postponed proceedings will resume later in the week. the first electronic vote will be conducted as a 15-minute vote. remaining electronic votes will be conducted as five-minute votes. the unfinished business is the vote on the motion of the gentleman from michigan, mr. levin torques suspend the rules and pass h.r. 5618 on which the yeas and nays are ordered. the clerk will report the title of the bill. the clerk: h.r. 5618, a bill to continue federal unemployment programs. the speaker pro tempore: the question is, will the house suspend the rules and pass the bill. members will record their votes by electronic device. members, this is a 15-minute vote. 15-minute vote. [captioning made possible by the national captioning institute, inc., in cooperation with the united states house of representatives. any use of the closed-captioned coverage of the house proceedings for political or commercial purposes is expressly prohibited by the u.s. house of representatives.]

the speaker pro tempore: on this vote the yeas are 26 21, the nays are 155. 2/3 of those not responding in the affirmative, the resolution is not agreed to and the bill is not passed. the unfinished business is the vote on the motion of he gentleman from -- the

gentlewoman from hawaii, ms. hirono, to suspend the rules and agree to house resolution 1244. the clerk will report the resolution. the clerk: house resolution 1244, resolution recognizing the national collegiate cyberdefense competition to devote cybersecurity in institutions of higher education. the speaker pro tempore: the question is will the house suspend the rules and agree to the rules as amended. members will record their votes by electronic device. this d -- members, this is a five-minute vote, five-minute vote. [captioning made possible by the national captioning institute, inc., in cooperation with the united states house of representatives. any use of the closed-captioned coverage of the house proceedings for political or commercial purposes is expressly prohibited by the u.s. house of representatives.]

the speaker pro tempore: on this vote the yeas are 410. the nays are two. 2/3 having responded in the affirmative, the rules are suspended --

the speaker pro tempore: on this vote the yeas are 412. the nays are two. 2/3 having responded in the affirmative, the rules are suspended, the resolution is agreed to and without objection the motion to reconsider is laid on the table. the house will be in order. members will take their seats. members, please clear the well. members, please clear the well. members, take your seats. members.

for what purpose does the gentleman -- members. members, please clear the well. members, take your seats. members, clear the aisle. for what purpose does the gentleman seek recognition? mr. dingell: mr. speaker, i ask unanimous consent to address the house for one minute and to revise and extend my remarks. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. mr. dingell: mr. speaker, i ask unanimous consent that all members may have five legislative days to revise and extend their remarks on the matter that i am about to address. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, so ordered. mr. dingell: mr. speaker, i rise with considerable sadness to announce the death of a good friend of most of us in this body.

our formmr colleague and friend, congressman mark hesh of ann ashor, he was 82. he served in the house of representatives from 1965 to 1966. he was then elected to the u.s. house of representatives where he represented ann arbor through about 1976. in 1976, he made an unsuccessful bid to the united states senate losing to our friend and colleague, regal, in the general election. mr. hesh was a member of the united states army and maritime service. he was indeed proud of helping his constituents to navigate the problems that they were having with the federal government, especially with those veterans, as his family takes pride in saying. in congress, he pushed for an accelerated end of the valm war and he worked to -- vietnam war and he worked to create an

all-volunteer military. he counted on general ford as one of his dear friends. they were both university of michigan graduates and stood by him when president ford was sworn in as the 38th president of the united states on the day that former president nixon resigned. he was born in pennsylvania on august 4, 1927. he went on to attend the university of michigan where he saved an m.a. in 1951 and a ph.d. in 1957. he was a lifelong supporter of the university of michigan sports and took considerable pride in the success of that great school. after his time in politics, he served as director of public affairs for u.s. steel corporation from 1977 to 1980. from 1981 to 1987, he was the director of programs and seminars for the american

enterprise institute. after his retirement in 1992, he worked on a number of fill an tropic pro -- fill tropic projects. he died in his sleep on saturday, june 19, two days after celebrating his 60th anniversary. his wife, wilma, survives him. he's survived, also, by his brother, gordon eche, his sister, emily of big fort, montana, son tom and his wife, charlene, and by grandsons and numerous nieces and nephews. we all remember him as a kind man who loved to tell stories and he cherished lifelong friendships. his relationship with his life as well as his relationship with his colleagues and his hope for the country can best be summed up in the phrase, "and the best is yet to be."

i now yield to my dear friend from michigan. we will have order. members, the house will be in order. the gentleman from michigan. mr. upton: i'd echo the remarks. i knew marv esche as a staffer. he was a wonderful man dedicated to this house. we will all miss him and it is sometimes tough to be a wolverine and he was a great wolverine. i yield back the balance of my time. mr. dingell: mr. speaker, i ask that the house have a moment of silence in honor of our former colleague and friend, marvin esche. the speaker pro tempore: members rise in a moment of silence.

the speaker pro tempore: without objection, five-minute voting will continue. the unfinished business is the vote on the motion of the gentleman from wisconsin, mr. kind, to suspend the rules and pass h.r. 5552 as amended on which the yeas and nays were ordered. the clerk will report the title of the bill. the clerk: h.r. 5552, a bill to amend the internal reven knew code of 1986 -- revenue code of 1986 so that the payment of the excise tax be paid quarterly and for thh assessment by the secretary of the treasury of

certain criminal restitutions. the speaker pro tempore: the question is will the house suspend the rules and pass the bill as amended. members will record their vote by electronic device. this is a five-minute vote. five-minute vote. [captioning made possible by the national captioning institute, inc., in cooperation with the united states house of representatives. any use of the closed-captioned coverage of the house proceedings for political or commercial purposes is expressly prohibited by the u.s. house of representatives.]

the speaker pro tempore: on this vote the yeas are 412, the nays, six. 2/3 of those voting having responded in the affirmative, the rules are suspended, and the bill is passed and without objection the motion to reconsider laid on the table -- reconsider is laid on the table. the unfinished business is the vote on the motion of the gentleman from michigan, mr. levin, to suspend the rules and pass h.r. 5623 as amended on which the yeas and nays are ordered. the clerk will report the title of the bill. the clerk: h.r. 5623, a bill to amend the internal revenue code of 1986 to extend the homebuyer tax credit for the purchase of a comfortable residence before october 1, 2010, and the case of a written binding contract entered into with respect to

such principle residence before may 1, 2010, and for other purposes. the speaker pro tempore: the question is will the house suspend the rules and pass the bill as amended. members will record their votes by electronic device. this is a five-minute vote, five-minute vote. [captioning made possible by the national captioning institute, inc., in cooperation with the united states house of representatives. any use of the closed-captioned coverage of the house proceedings for political or commercial purposes is expressly prohibited by the u.s. house of representatives.]

the speaker pro tempore: on this vote the yeas are 409. and the nays are five. 2/3 having responded in the affirmative, the rules are suspended, and the bill is passed, too, and without objection the motion to reconsider is laid on the table.

the house will be in order. the house will be in order. members, please take your conversations off the floor.

members will take their conversations off the floor. for what purpose does the gentleman from west virginia seek recognition? mr. rahall: mr. speaker, i offer a privileged resolution and ask for its immediate consideration. the speaker pro tempore: the clerk will report the resolution. the clerk: house resolution 1484, resolved, that the house has heard with profound sorrow of the death of the honorable robert c. byrd, a senator from the state of west virginia. resolved, that a committee of such members of the house that the speaker may designate together with such members of the senate as may be joined be appointed to attend the funeral. resolved, that the clerk communicate these resolutions to the senate and transmit a copy thereof to the family of the deceased. resolved, that when the house adjourns today it adjourn as a further mark of respect to the memory of the deceased senator. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from west virginia is

recognized for one hour. mr. rahall: mr. speaker, i yield the customary 30 minutes to the gentlelady from west virginia, mrs. capito. and i yield myself such time as i may consume. i ask unanimous consent that all members may have five legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on this resolution. and i'm honored at this point to yield one minute to the gentlelady from california, the speaker of the house, ms. pelosi. the speaker pro tempore: the house will be in order. the house will be in order. the gentlewoman is recognized. the speaker: thank you, mr. speaker. i'm honored to join you, chairman rahall, congresswoman capito, in singing the praises of a great man, senator byrd. i rise today to remember the extraordinary life and legacy of senator robert c. byrd of west virginia, a man who loved his state, loved this country and was such an important part of this congress.

throughout his remarkable career, he worked for all americans and he never stopped fighting for the people of west virginia. while some simply while we're here we all take pride in bearing witness to history, senator byrd shaped it, and in shaping history he built a better future for all americans. his story was the true embodiment of the american dream. an orphan at a young age, senator byrd refused to allow his circumstances to limit the reach of his potential or his ability. he was the first in his family to be educated above the second grade. he worked as a butcher and a welder and entered office to serve the community and his neighbors. in doing so he would ultimately make america a better place for every american. so many know his mastery of the senate, i note that robert byrd's service began in the congress here in the house of representatives in 1953.

his service in the house is a source of pride to all of us, though senator byrd remarked that he was happy to leave behind the limitations on speaking time that apply on the house floor. in fact, i checked the congressional record myself and in the year that senator byrd first came to congress i found that in one single floor speech he managed to quote the book of ecleese assies, -- ecleese assies, shakespeare all while discussing trade policy. that was a sign of a great orator that would come over the next 57 years. in that time, senator byrd would become congress' foremost scholar in the institution of our democracy. he always spoke truth to power, he served as a voice of reason. he was always a gentleman, charming any friend or foe. today, the entire nation mourns

the loss of this great champion leader and public servant. for more than 57 years, congress has benefited from his wisdom and passion. for generations to come, robert c. byrd's name will remain etched in history books for his accomplishments and for his courage. senator byrd has gone home to be with his beloved irma. we hope it's a comfort to the byyd family that so many join them in grieving their loss at this sad time. thank you, mr. speaker. mr. rahall: mr. speaker. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from west virginia. mr. rahall: mr. speaker, i yield one minute to the distinguished majority leader of the house of representatives, the gentleman from maryland, mr. hoyer. mr. hoyer: i thank the distinguished member from west virrginia and the chairman of our natural resources committee, nick joe rahall, of whom robert byrd was very proud. i'm also pleased to recognize the speaker pro tempore, mr.

mollohan, who he considered a partner. and i thank congresswoman capito for allowing me to speak and in fact out of order on passing of the distinguished american who was larger than life in so many respects. today we honor the life of senator robert byrd. history will reflect him as the longest serving member congress has ever seen. but, of course, if it were only longevity that we were honoring, it would simply be the hand of faith that allowed that to happen. but what we really honor is that robert c. byrd used his longevity to such extraordinary benefit of the people he served in west virginia, the state of

west virginia, the people of this nation and the legislative branch of government. i doubt that there have been any peers to robert c. byrd in standing on the floor of the united states senate or the house of representatives or in any forum in which he was temporarily present. that an any more strong advocacy of the quality and separateness of the legislative branch was clear. robert c. byrd was a giant. he was a giant in terms of character. he grew during the course of his lifetime, which is a mark of a great man. all of us are to some degree captives of the environment in which we are raised, in which

we live. robert c. byrd is no different. but robert c. byrd grew. he grew intellectually. he grew culturally, but he did not in growing leave his base. he did not forget the values that he learned in west virginia. the values of courtesy, of kindness, of caring, of helping, of making sure that the people who were not famous, who did not have power, who did not positions of note were never, never forgotten. mr. speaker, i remember an incident that i'm sure was not unique to me. early on in my career i went over on an appropriation matter like you, mr. speaker, as a member of the appropriations committee.

senator byrd, then majority leader, invited me to his office and we sat down and for the next 45 minutes, as a junior member of the house i found extraordinary. and he regaled me on the history of the senate and the books he had written. and i was mesmerized in the presence of this giant of the legislative body. and at the end he, as i'm sure he did to so many of us, he took a rectangular painting of a covered bridge in west virginia. mr. obey is going to speak at some point in time and mr. obey has a similar painting hanging in his office. that's not the original because bob byrd gave it to so many of us. but i looked at that and i thought to myself, what a kind gesture, how impressed i was this young member of congress

being accorded this kind of respect from this giant of the united states senate. robert c. byrd will be duly missed by us all. and he will be missed most of all when very difficult issues confront the legislative body, and there is a clamor that the legislative agree with the executive for whatever reason, a clamor that all too often emanates from fear of this, that or the other. and in that fear would ignore the constitutional role played by the congress of the united states. it is then that we will miss senator byrd's clarity of intellect, of conscience, of commitment to the constitution of the united states of

america. and as well to the rules of the united states senate. he was a passionate and advocate for people, for principle, for the constitution and for our country. senator byrd, we will miss you, but we will remember fondly your contributions and be forever thankful that we had the opportunity to serve with you. some of you remember my dog, charlotte. my dog, charlotte, was with me for 15 1/2 years. some of you recall for 10 of those years charlotte came to work with me every day. charlotte was an english springer spaniel. i planted a tree in my yard, it's a dogwood tree, and there is a stone and a bronze plaque for charlotte. charlotte was one of the loves of my life. i lived alone with her for 10

1/2 years after judy passed away. the first call i got the day after charlotte passed was from robert c. byrd saying how sorry he was that i had lost charlotte. that was an indication of his humanity, of his caring for others. yes, he was a great man, but he was a man who understood the pain, the aspirations and the hopes of all with whom he came in contact. thank you, robert c. byrd, our good and faithful servant. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. the gentlelady from west virginia is recognized. mrs. capito: thank you, mr. speaker. i would like to yield as much time as he may consume the gentleman from california, mr. lewis.

the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from california. mr. lewis: mr. speaker, i very much appreciate the gentlelady yielding. robert byrd, colleague and associate on the appropriations committee, this incredible, incredible leader on our committee who's made such a difference over the years. beyond that, i have quickly developed great respect for his support of the legislative role relative to our constitutional responsibility and over the decades he has fought administration after administration, democrat and republican alike, whose bureaucrats want to take authority away from the legislative branch. his voice was heard consistently reflecting the priorities of this institution, and for that i will never forget him. but in recent years, as you've just heard from our leader, in recent years senator byrd and i developed a different kind of

friendship because of our love for our dogs. indeed, it was a reflection of this man, the wonderful human side of this man, it's been that experience for me. we will -- thank you, mr. speaker. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from west virginia. mr. rahall: mr. speaker, it's my honor to yield now to the distinguished chairman of our house appropriations committee, the gentleman from wisconsin, mr. obey, two minutes. mr. obey: i thank the gentleman for the time. mr. speaker, for the last -- for most of the last 15 years senator robert byrd led the senate democrats on the appropriations committee. for roughly the same amount of time, i had the same privilege on the house side. i got to know him extremely well. i loved robert byrd.

for one thing, we shared a love of bluegrass music. i dare say he's the finest fiddler in the history of the congress. but that's not the real reason that i hold him in such high esteem he began as a product of a segregated background, but through sheer intense pursuit of knowledge and understanding and wisdom, he became a person who was a powerful representative for the cause of equal opportunity for everyone. i can think of no one in the history of the senate who demonstrated a greater capacity for personal growth than did robert byrd. he was truly unmatched in his recognition of our obligation

to the constitution and to the institution of the congress itself. and the greatest thing about it, in addition to his dedication, was simply -- was, simply put he had guts. and he wasn't afraid to demonstrate that on many occasion whence the nation needed to see it demonstrated. he made the point that he never served under any president, he served with many. honorably and with distinction. they really don't make them like him anymore. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady from west virginia is recognized. mrs. capito: i rise to thank my friend and colleague from west virginia's third congressional district, mr. rahall, for offering this resolution

honoring the passing of our senior senator, senator robert c. byrd, and i want to thank the speaker, also, my other colleague from west virginia for his dedication and friendship to senator byrd for many more years than i have served here in congress. as the three of us know, this is a difficult time for all west virginians and the united states senate. as my colleagues know, senator byrd was an institution not only in west virginia but also in the united states senate. coming from very modest beginnings, the young man from rural raleigh county, west virginia, rose from the mountains of appalachia, to become a lion in the greatest deliberative body on earth, the united states senate. his path to success is truly emblematic of the american dream. few can travel through our great state of west virginia without recognizing the effect senator byrd had on our state. while he's well recognized for the many roads and buildings named in his honor, it's the

leadership he displayed in bringing our delegation together when it mattered most to the state of virginia that's truly a zestment to his work in the state. during my tenure he rallied our delegation to save the 130th air national guard unit from being cut he began working with all of us toward a consensus on mine safety legislation after the tragic sago mine incident. he was an able leader and led us all as leaders of west virginia. he was also a wonderful ambassador for appalachha. west virginiaians are proud of our heritage and strong work ethic and senator byrd continued to share appalachian culture with his colleagues in washington. whether it was displaying his musical talents on the fiddle or his dedication to history, both american and world history, or the processes of

the united states, or the protection of our constitution, senator byrd was a man of truly many talents. i will fondly remember as i was attending a meeting in charleston, west virginia, probably 12 years ago that -- i knew about his fiddling, but i didn't know of his love of music and vocal ability when he joined kathy ma tea in singing "amazing grace." it was a great moment for me, for him he was celebrating three loves, his music, his love of education and his faith in god. i also remember, and other members of the delegation will remember, too, we were in his office he served us lunch in his office, and when it came time for dessert, he asked us if we wanted dessert. since we were all watching our waistline we sort of waved off dessert and said, we really don't need dessert, i think we'll pass on dessert. no, no, we must have december

ert, we must have apple pie and ice cream he told us how he'd maintained the same weight for the last 57 years in the united states congress. i think that's a feat to be celebrated, quite frankly. he also talked a lot about, and we heard about this, too, a love of his dogs. i remember when his beloved billy died, he was crushed. he wasn't afraid or ashamed or embarrassed to express a love and compassion he had and the companionship he felt with his dog. that's a common bond of a lot of people here in the united states but also west virginia share. so with senator byrd's passing, west virginia has truly lost a favorite son. the united states senate has lost an icon. and as any senator will tell you, senator byrd served as a tremendous mentor in passing on senate procedure to newly elected senators. in many ways, senator byrd was

an institution within the institution of the senate and the senate will not be the same without him. i will miss senator byrd's passion and ardent defense of our nation's constitution. he was one of a kind and i feel privilege to have had served with him. i'll never forget the advice he gave me when i first sought his counsel when i went in in my first year. i he said, shelley, you need to be a work horse, not a show horse. he will be remembered as a work horse and also for his dedication in representing our great state of west virginia. i wish to extend to senator byrd's family my deepest sympathies and know he is at peace and at home with his beloved irma. i thank again mr. rahall for presenting this, senator byrd will certainly be missed and i want to pay tribute to his tremendous service, sacrifice, strength, honesty, and devotion to our state and nation.

i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from west virginia is recognized. mr. rahall: i'm proud to yield two minutes to the distinguished chairman of our defense subcommittee on appropriations, the gentleman from washington, mr. dicks. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. dicks: i had the great honor of serving in the other body for eight years as an assistant to senator warren magnusson. during that time, senator byrd became the whip in the senate and i can remember how he would -- he was faithfully writing notes every couple of days to senator magnusson, i put this in the record for you. he was absolutely committed to the united states senate. he was a forceful advocate. i can -- i served as chairman obey has in many conferences with senator byrd.

when there was something he wanted, or oftentimes, protect the workers of west virginia, on coal mining issues, the congress responded because he was such a forceful advocate and one of the things i respected most about senator byrd was his knowledge of the history of the senate he history of the congress and his devotion to that history. and he would oftentimes talk about historic events and tie them in to current days. i thought, some people may have criticized him on spending issues, but he used to say, and i always used to quote him on this, if the congress can't give up the power of the purse because the power of the purse is in the constitution and it's part of the constitution. of the united states. and a right that was earned in

england when the people of england rose up against kings and demanded that parliament have the power of deciding how the money was to be spent. it's been said by many, he served with many presidents, but he was not influenced by the president, he would stand on the floor of the senate many times and talk about different wars, different situations we werr in and demand that the executive appreciate the power of the congress and respect the power of the congress. he served, i think he was elected nine full terms, that's a record that i doubt will ever be match. he also went to law school during his time in the senate. how many people could do that? it was remarkable and i think president kennedy gave him his degree from american university just a few months before he was unfortunately, tragically assassinated in texas.

but robert byrd is a ledge dare figure in my -- is a legendary figure in my time here in congress. i had the fortune of serving on the appropriations committee for many years, i served with senator magnusson, and senator byrd was there throughout that time and a lot more. i rise today in respect for him, his legacy, his commitment to the congress. he had a wonderful family and i'm sure that they're going to miss him but they have the, i think, the satisfaction of knowing that robert byrd did a great job a fantastic job for the state of west virginia but also was a great senator in a national perspective. so i just want to say to my colleague and classmate from west virginia who i know served on senator byrd's staff, and was a great learning experience

that you had in the other body, as i did. i think it helped prepare us for work here in the house of representatives. so i yield back my time and i just would say, again, that we have lost a great american a man of tremendous courage and commitment and someone we respected and his legacy and memory will live long in this history of the united states of america and in the congress. thank you. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady from west virginia is recognized. mrs. capito: i have no further speakers on my side, i yield back the remainder of my time to the majority. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady yields back. the gentleman from west virginia. mr. rahall: i yield two minutes to the gentlelady from ohio, a member of the appropriations committee as well, ms. kaptur. two minutes. ms. kaptur: thank you, distinguished dean of the delegation for yielding to me,

and with speaker mollohan in the chair this evening, the neesm buckeye state of ohio extend our deepest sympathy to the state of west virginia to the byrd family, to all the staff that served this truly remarkable human being and mirn senator robert byrd. there's a great piece of music called "ode to the common man," as i'm saying these words this evening, i think of that music and of senator byrd's remarkable life truly was a man of the legislative branch that belonged to the american people . his road had been a hardscrabble one from the very beginning and he's the kind of american that walked a tough road and when he came here he never forgot people who came from backgrounds as did he. i have a great joy of serving with him on the appropriations committee and being one of the few women that have served on that committee when i arrived

there in the 1990's, i remember him sitting across from me at a conference committee, looking over his glasses at this woman who was a bit younger than he was and his great sense of welcome and somewhat surprise that history in america was changing. i respected and liked him so very, very much. and i appreciated his kindness to me. he loved history. i hold in my possession and autographed copy from him of "the roman republic and the rule of law," i loved speaking with him, i loved being on a program with him a few years ago with the president of the steelworkers and listening to senator byrd deliver an impassioned speech about the american worker and he was such an exemplary representative for the working men and women of this country. his intellect, his humor, his

knowledge of rules and history, his love of this institution and respect for it and his passion, his passion on every issue that he handled. he had so much to teach all of us. i happen to be a democrat hembings the real democrat he set the course on a compass and that needle for what it meant to represent all people. he was a gentleman, he was civil, he was enlightened, he worked so hard, i can remember his telling a story about working on the railroads as a young man and that hard work and sense of honor he carried with him through his entire service of over half a century to the people of our country. i will went saying as i think of "ode to the common man" that the great courage that he displayed in the last years of his life is a lesson to us all. he continued to serve, despite illness derek spite difficulty, his doggedness, his determination, he truly was a

heroic american. i personally shall miss him very, very much and i thank the state of west virginia for continuing to send him to this congress. he made us all better by serving with him. he was loved by this membership and we wish him god speed and eternal rest granted to him, o lord. i yield back. i thank the gentleman from west virginia for allowing me this time tonight. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady yields back the balance of her time. the gentleman from west virginia. mr. rahall: mr. speaker, it's now my deep honor to yield to a close personal friend and fellow member of our congressional delegation from west virginia, mr. alan mollohan. mr. mollohan shares the subcommittee on appropriations on justice, commerce, science and related agencies. he served on many conferences with the late senator byrd as well, and i know senator byrd often said he had two sons and that would be alan and myself. i'm very honored to yield such time as he may consume to alan

mollohan. mr. mollohanar i thank my friend and colleague -- mr. mollohan: i thank my friend and colleague from west virginia. i know we have tender memories of the senator. mr. speaker, it was with profound sadness that i learned yesterday of the passing of senator robert c. byrd. this country knew senator byrd as one of the lions of the senate, a ferocious advocate for his state and a principled spokesman for his beliefs. whether it was his opposition to the war in iraq or his commitment to improve safety and working conditions in the coal fields of west virginia. this congress, both sides of the capitol, knew robert c. byrd as the chief defender of its constitutional prerogatives, an unequaled master of its parliamentary rules, an expert on its history and one of the ablist tack tigses either chamber has seen. west virginia knew senator

robert c. byrd as her own. it's difficult to adequately describe the bond, the profound connection between the man and the state. people from outside the state might assume that this connection was built on the senator's legendary success in delivering federal funds to west virginia, and that would be wrong. west virginians remember how difficult that success was, of course. we know that those material contributions are literally incalculable in dollars invested, roads paved, buildings constructed and jobs created. but the bond between senator byrd and west virginia went far beyond that. it is almost as though his personal story, not only inspired west virginians, as it would most americans, but that it captured so much of our state's culture and our state's values. that personal history is known

throughout the state. senator byrd was the adopted son of a miner who graduated as class valedictorian. he was the manual worker who earned a law degree while serving in the united states senate. he was the husband who relied for almost 70 years on his beloved wife, erma. those qualities of discipline, of integrity and commitment forged in the mountains of west virginia and exercised in the halls of washington. speak more strongly to west virginians than any material measure of his immense contributions to the state. i cannot imagine robert c. byrd representing any state other than west virginia, and if is difficult to imagine west virginia without senator byrd. i knew senator byrd as a mentor. i was first elected to congress in 1983, and after 28 years i liked to think of myself as a

reasonably seasoned veteran of this body. but then i remind myself before i took my first oath of office, senator byrd had already served more years than i have today. 28 years ago he was already a master of the legislative branch, and from my very first days in this house, senator byrd never withheld his support or his counsel. i can remember many times senator byrd calling congressman rahall and myself over to his office just to consult, to ask what was going on in west virginia or to counsel himself on what was going on in the house of representatives or just to find out what was going on in our personal lives, how our parents were, how our fathers were, how our mothers were. those were touching moments. senator byrd, many people have asked me, well, what is senator

byrd really like? he's such a disciplined person in public. people want to know, well, what is he like in private? i think there are several insights that we've had glimpse s of in previous speakers of what he was like in a man beyond a legislator. i can remember his being very touching and very concerned about his dog, billy, and bringing him to the congress or if he were home worrying about how he was getting along. very concerned and obviously loving toward a pet. but most poignant was senator byrd's relationship with his wife, erma. it was long. she was his childhood

sweetheart. senator byrd used to tell the story about courting erma with another young man's candy. the young man would come to school and senator byrd made -- caught up and gave senator byrd a piece of candy. senator byrd wouldn't eat that cannedy. -- candy. he would save it for his future wife, erma. that relationship grew and was warm and inspiring throughout his life. and her passing a number of years ago was a very sad time in the life of senator byrd. obviously it's also a very sad time in the state of west virginia. they were a couple to be beloved by west virginia. i remember another touching moment. when my father passed almost 10 years ago, senator byrd attended his funeral and continued on after the service for about an hour's drive to

where dad was intured. and senator byrd, after the service, pulled me aside and told me what a lovely cemetery this was for dad's resting place. finally, i knew senator byrd as a friend. i cannot remember a time when he was not in my life. and i will miss my friend, my wife, barbara and i offer our deepest condolences and our best wishes to senator byrd's family, to his staff and to that close, wonderful circle of people who knew him and loved him. thank you, mr. speaker. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from west virginia. mr. rahall: how much time do i have remaining, mr. speaker?

the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman has 14 1/2 minutes remaining. mr. rahall: i yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. rahall: mr. speaker, the gates of heaven opened wide early yesterday morning. west virginia lost a faithful son, the senate lost a father's watchful eye, and i lost my mentor and close friend. i extend my prayers and thoughts to senator byrd's daughters, to his grandchildren and great grandchildren, to all his family and to his staff, especially many of whom have been with him for so long. sadly but surely we will not see the likes of robert c. byrd pass our way again. he came from humble beginnings, a virtual orphan. he was sent to be reared in the coal fields of our beloved state of west virginia, enduring the steps of the great

depression. but he was wealthy beyond belief with richness of values all instilled in him by his adoptive parents. a self-taught butcher, a welder, a sunday school teacher, a self-discipline scholar with straight a's, with 21 credit hours in his first semester of college, a young man still, he wanted to serve. armed with a little more than determination and a fiddle, he successfully entered politics. byrd by name, byrd by nature, let's send byrd to the legislature. he would fiddle that with the tin cup raising his campaign funds. i recall because my late father was the treasurer for those early campaigns of senator byrd. but thus began what would become an unprecedented legislative service. marshalling sharp focus,

unwavering diligence and old-fashioned hard work, old-fashioned hard work, he rose to remarkable heights of rank and responsibility to service to the lord. he -- to service to our state and our nation as well. yet, senator byrd always remained true to his own essential nature. he never got above his raisen. he could mix with kings and queens and presidents, and while doing that he never forgot from where he camee+ and he always remained deepry proud of his roots. he would assume eating boons and sipping buttermilk in the hills of west virginia as having lavish dinners with kings and queens around the world. i recall while working for him in the senate democratic cloakroom in 1972. during that time a young man from delaware by the name of joe biden was elected to the

united states senate. within a month or two after senator-elect joe biden's ascension to the united stttes senate, he lost his first wife in a tragic, tragic car wreck. senator byrd turned to me and said, nick, do you mind if we took a drive up to wilmington, delaware, so we can pay our respects to senator biden's wife? i said sure. i drove the car. it was a cold, rainy night in late november that 1972. we arrived in wilmington. we arrived at the funeral home to face a long, long winding line that was waiting out in the rain to pay their respects. senator biden heard we were in that line and sent word out, he wanted us to come up and immediately get upfront and come inside where it was warm. senator byrd said no. he would not use his office, he

would not use his prestige or power to jump in front of anybody already in line in front of him. so we stood in that cold rain waiting to pay our respects to senator-elect, at that time, joe biden's first wife. the only individual to serve in both houses in the west virginia legislature and the u.s. congress, senator byrd also achieved the distinction of holding more elected leadership offices in the united states senate than anyone in the body's history. his senate service can -- is the body's longest. senator byrd holds the distinction of serving in congress longer than anyone else. his achievements and his unright field archive of accomplishments -- unrifled archive of accomplishments was one sole purpose, to serve others. and he never tired of trying to find ways to help a little more, to do a little better.

striving for the next wrung was for senator byrd a lifelong pursuit. he was forever setting goals and he challenged himself, his staff, his colleagues, all of us to meet or exceed those goals. and you know one other remarkable feature about robert c. byrd, he made political contests as bitter as they may seem at the time the foundation of future and lasting friendships. recall, for example, as i know the gentleman in the chair, mr. dicks, can recall as well, senator byrd's one-vote victory over the late senator from massachusetts, ted kennedy, whose son, patrick, was just here on the floor. perhaps many considered that a bitter contest. but what did senator byrd use it for? to establish a lasting and true friendship with senator ted kennedy from massachusetts, as

we all know, who passed shortly before senator byrd and for whom senator byrd had nothing but the utmost and kindest words of praise and truly defined a friendship that perhaps has not been in american politics for sometime. this was a defining quality and a well-spring of immeasurable joy for senator byrd. for setting records and breaking his own was the inevitable result, but ultimately we are the ones who reaped the greatest benefit. in his later years when anyone questioned age as somehow detrimental to service, senator byrd reveled in picking off the names and ages of the ancients in the old testament and their continued service to the lord.

moses was 120, senator byrd would say. noah was 960. he would call out, while i am but a spry 85. at 92, senator byrd work the longest record of service in congress well established, senator byrd enjoyed public service so much it's possible he also had the longest happy life on record. if only we could have captured the energies produced by his immense job satisfaction. if only we could package them and share them with others. senator byrd was cautious about the use of superlatives. he felt they were tossed around too casually and although i do not doubt he is now grimacing a bit at me for saying this, the fact is, it is just not possible to speak about senator

byrd without using superlatives. longest serving, hardest working, most revered, best loved and the list goes on and on. yes, he was passionate about people. he was passionate about politics. he was caring. he was all concerned about the lives of all of us in west virginia. as we all know, we go through personal trials and tribulations in our family, the loss of a loved one, sibling problems, loss of a job, senator byrd, when he was physically able would so surprisingly show up in west virginia offering that comforting arm around the shoulder and always telling those afflicted with tragedy to keep the faith in god. to don't let it get you down. keep plugging along. senator byrd himself, who never had a bad word to say about

anybody, despite some of the words said about him, was forever the true gentleman. many in this body had their own personal remembrances of senator byrd he touch sod many of us, encouraged us, taught us, even argued with us. i can recall the last time perhaps except for the miners' memorial he attended this april, the only time before that he was in his home area of raleigh county, west virginia, was a dinner in which he was a surprised guest that honored yours truly. my wife melinda and i fixed up our house, my wife even set up the big daddy suite in our home in west virginia that big daddy suite is still there, waiting as it always was for senator byrd to pay a surprise visit. we are all better for the life

of senator robert byrd. we owe him generous helpings of gratitude and admiration and we shall all miss him. again to senator byrd's family, we offer our prayers, our never-ending thanks for the fact that they shared senator byrd's extraordinary life with a grateful state and a grateful nation. now our senior senator, our former senior senator, our late senior senator, is indeed with his beloved wife erma, who was always a twinkle in his eye for 69 years they were married before her passing some five years ago. the senator is with his beloved erma, smiling down upon all of us. we say thank you, senator byrd. thank you for all you've given our great state. thank you for all you've given our nation. because we shall miss you.

mr. speaker, i will yield back the balance of my time, as i appear to have no more speakers. the speaker pro tempore: does the gentleman yields back? mr. rahall: i yield back the balance of my time. %% the speaker pro tempore: without objection, the previous question is ordered. the question is on adoption of the resolution. those in favor say aye. those opposed, no. in the opinion of the chair, the ayes visit. the resolution is agreed to and without objection, the motion to reconsider is laid on the table. the chair would entertain one-minute requests. for what purpose does the gentleman from pennsylvania rise?

>> mr. chairman, i ask unanimous consent to address the house for one minute and revise and extend my remarks. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. >> i rise today in warm congratulations for dr. green waled on his retirement he served for 30 years, earning him such titles as professor emeritus. he was one of five in the organization's 27-year history to receive this honor, awarded to those who exhibit an exemplary record of service. under his leadership, clarion's enrollment reached record levels and the university saw marked improvement as academic, community and business programs. he serves on the boards of numerous community organizations, attesting to a sincere dedication to the welfare and advancement of clarion. she a true example of steadfast effort and deserves to be

praised and honored. i'm sure he'll continue to serve his community. congratulations, i wish you success and fulfillment in your retirement. i look forward to working with clarion university's 16th president, dr. karen whitney. i yield back my time. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from texas rise? >> to address the house for one minute. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. ms. jackson lee: i was detained when my colleagues were on the floor of the house paying tribute to senator byrd. i did not want this time to go without acknowledging my deep sympathy to his family and to my good friends from west virginia. and to acknowledge how special this man was to the institution we call congress and to the freedom that this nation stands for. i cannot account for my

personal encounters with senator byrd but i can tell you as someone who respects and love this is institution what a man who understood the constitution and rules that were not for selfish reasons to keep people from being in power, but really it was to empower people he had no qualms in standing up against presidential authority that was wrong in the iraq war he had no qualms in fighting to ensure that resources came to his great state he loved the institution. he was the holder of knowledge and what we will lose with his passing is that special sensitivity to the rules and to the responsibility we have to not play politics with this institution. we are here to serve america and senator byrd did serve america. may god rest his soul and may he rest in peace. senator byrd, we will miss you. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman yields back.

for what purpose does the gentleman from florida rise? >> to address the house for one minute, revise and extend my remarks. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. mr. diaz-balart: i rise today to honor the life of navy sale william orr tai gga. he gave his life on june 18 after a bomb exploded while he was in a patrol vehicle conducting come bat operations against forces in helmut province in afghanistan. he was 23 years old, a corpsman on the third battalion, first marine regiment, first marine division, first marine expeditionary force. his battalion was nicknamed the thundering third. his family said he cherished being an american citizen, he enjoyed being -- winning first place at a science fair in school. he made the honor roll and excel nevered sport he played.

after graduating from south dade high school in 2005 he went on to study at florida career college where he obtained a degree in website design. then he joined the military because of the core values that the military life has to offer he wanted to give back to a nation that had given him and his family so much opportunity. as a corpsman, he was a navy medic who treated those who were injured in combat. his sister described him as an awesome brother and an awesome friend. she also said, and i quote, he had a lot of respecc for this nation and he paid the ultimate sacrifice, unfortunately. for his brave service and sacrifice, seaman ortega was awarded the purple heart after, obviously he gave his life. the combat action ribbon, the afghanistan campaign medal, the nato medal. he is survived business by his

parents and five sisters. hundreds gathered, madam speaker, over the weekend in miami to pay respect and pay tribute to this american fallen hero. our grateful nation grieves with this family in this difficult time. in our -- our grateful nation will never forget william orr tai taye ga a true american hero. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the chair lays before the house the following personal requests. the clerk: leave of absence requested for mr. burton of indiana for today until 12:00 p.m. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, the request is granted. for what purpose does the gentleman from texas rise? mr. poe: madam speaker, i ask unanimous consent that today following legislative business and any special orders heretofore entered into, the following members may be permitted to address the houue, revise and extend their remarks and include therein extraneous

material. mr. moran for july 1 and 2, ms. ros-lehtinen for today, dr. paul for june 30 and july 1, ms. foxx for today, mr. fortenberry for today. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. for what purpose does the gentleman from massachusetts rise? >> i ask unanimous consent that today following legislative business and any special orders heretofore entered into, the following member mace be permitted to address the house for five minutes to revise and extend their remarks and include thereon extraneous material. mr. mcgovern, mr. ween over new york, mr. perriello of virginia, mr. defazio of oregon, mr. quigley of illinois. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. under the speaker's announced policy of january 6, 2009, and under a previous order of the house, the following member are recognized for five minutes

each. mr. mcgovern of massachusetts. mr. mcgovern: i ask unanimous condition sonet to revise and extend my remarks. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, the gentleman is recognized. mr. mcgovern: i rise to express dissatisfaction with our involvement in afghanistan. as we are being asked to consider tens of billions of dollars in supplemental funding for the war, i believe that now is the time for us to ask tough questions and demand straightances. -- straight answers. of all the problems president obama inherlted from the bush administration, afghanistan is the one that keeps get manager complicated. in just the past few week two brave young soldiers from my congressional district in fall river, massachusetts, lost their lives in afghanistan, this is a big deal. we need to get it right. last december, president obama told the american people that we would going withdraw our forces next july.

the american people the serve to know if that plan is still in place, and how we're going to get there. much has been made about general stanley mccrith tall's comments in "rolling stone" magazine about the nation's civilian leadership, but frankly, madam speaker, this is much bigger than a few ill-considered comments. there are other parts of the article i find much more disturbing. general mccrith tal himself referred to the big -- mcchrystal himself referred to the biggest operation this year as a bleeding ulcer. his chief of operations says it's not going to look like a win, smell like a win or taste like a win. this is going to end in argument, unquote. before the larger offensive began, he went to president karzai's palace to get his consent on the operation and according to the article, karzai's staff insisted the president was sleeping.

he was sleeping off a cold and could not be disturbed. after several hours of haggling, mcchrystal enlisted the aid of afghanistan's defense minister who persuaded karzai's people to wake the president from his nap. a senior advisor to general mcchrystal said if americans pull back and start paying attention to this war, it would become even less popular, end quote. as senior -- a senior military officer said this, and i quote, there's a possibility we could ask for another surge of u.s. forces next summer if we see success here, end quote. so the administration has determined general mcchrystal's exit strategy but it's the exit strategy for the rest of our brave soldiers i'm worried about. madam speaker, i voted in 2001 to go to war in afghanistan to hunt down al qaeda and eliminate their threat, and i would cast that same vote today in a heartbeat. but what we're doing in afghanistan today is far beyond that original authorization. we are engaged in extensive,

expensive nation building in afghanistan. and frankly, given the level of unemployment and the severe economic situation we face in the united states, i'd rather do a little more nation building here at home. we have borrowed $350 billion. we have borrowed $350 billion added to the debt for war in afghanistan. my republican friends have refused to extend unemployment benefits for out-of-work americans bus they say we can't afford it. -- because they say we can't afford it. we say we can't avoid states laying off teachers. we say we can't afford to improve our roads or bridges or help families afford college education. we are told we can't help prevent foreclosures or improve child nutrition. and now we're being asked to borrow nor $33 billion for nation building in afghanistan. we don't have the -- we don't have the money to help american working families, but when it comes to supporting a corrupt

and incompetent karzai government, we're supposed to be a bottomless pit. not so fast, madam speaker. last week a bipartisan group of us sent a letter to the speaker urging that the house not consider the supplemental before some keer serious questions about our policies in afghanistan are addressed. and even if we move forward this week, i hope we are given an opportunity to be given a thorough debate on this issue and be given a clean vote on whether we should continue our funding at current levels. this is life and death. this is about sending our troops into harm's way. this is about whether or not we can afford to continue this policy. madam speaker, i urge my colleagues to think long and hard this week about this critical issue. and i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: mr. poe of texas.

mr. poe: perm five -- request permission to address the house for five minutes. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, the gentleman is recognized for five minutes. mr. poe: madam speaker, we honor a texas soldier who gave his life serving this country, this country he loved. u.s. army specialist matthew was an infantryman with the 101st airborne screaming eagles out of fort campbell, kentucky, with us of the most prestigious and decorated people. the screaming eagle warriors landed on normandy on d-day and fought in the battle of the bulge, the crucial turning points of world war ii. they fought in the rice paties of vietnam and stood in the towns of iraq. and they're leading in afghanistan to fight againstt the cowards in the desert, the taliban. i've been to iraq and afghanistan and let me tell you something, madam speaker, there is no better fighting machine in the world than the 101st.

they were the first conventional unit to deploy in support of the american war on terrorism. the 101st easy company was portrayed in the series "banff brothers" and -- ban of brothers" and matthew gave his life with four other fellow soldiers that day. it was the bloodiest day of the war so far this year. madam speaker, this is a photograph of matthew. he and his fellow soldiers were killed when their humvee was hit by an improvised explosive device, that's called an i.e.d., that's the cowards way of the taliban of fighting our troops. but as shakespeare said, they shall be remembered, we few, we happy few, we banff brothers for he today that sheds his blood with me shall be my brother. matthew catlett, this young american hero, was only 23 years of age when he gave his

life for this country. there is nothing as noble as the character of a man who so willingly dead indicates his life for others. the american warriors serving our military understand that better than anybody. they embody what is meant to be an american. and matthew catlett was such a man. he gave his life on june 7 on a battlefield in afghanistan fighting the terrorists who attacked america on september 11 from that desloate faraway land. matthew grew up in cypress, texas. he joined the united states army right out of cypress ridge high school always knowing he wanted to be a military man, a soldier in the united states army. he served a tour of duty in iraq three years ago and had just been redeployed to afghanistan in april of this year. our american warriors make great sacrifices in the heat and the dust and the deserts and the rough rugged mountains

of afghanistan where summer temperatures reach almost 120 degrees in the parched desert landscape. our soldiers track down terrorists under the worst possible conditions, but no matter what home these cowards try to hide in, our soldiers are able to hunt them down and to keep america safe. we grieve the loss of this american warrior but we celebrate and honor his life and his service. we are fortunate that a man like matthew ever lived. matthew stood for the best of those american ideals and values exemplified in our fighting infantrymen. general robert e. lee once said duty, then a sublimist word in our language, do your duty in all things, you cannot do more and you should never wish to do less. matthew catlett did his duty. all of his fellow soldiers gave some, but matthew catlett gave

all in defense of this nation. he fought for liberty and for a people he did not know and a land he had never been. he was the american breed, he was a rare breed. so we honor our american warrior and we honor the families left behind who grieve the loss of their loved one. specialist matthew catlett was buried with four military honors in houston's veterans memorial cemetery. his draped coffin was surrounded by flags of the patriot guard. those are motorcycle riders, mainly vietnam veterans who surround themselves by fallen soldiers and their families during a time of grief. so today i extend my prayers and condolences to matthew's wife, brittany, two young daughters, his parents, his relatives and his friends. their american warrior is home, his duty is done and he is at peace. george orwell said, we sleep safely in our beds because

rough men stand ready in the night to visit violence on those who would do us harm. our grateful nation will always remember that specialist matthew catlett stood always ready to do his duty for us. and that's just the way it is. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: ms. woolsey of california. for what purpose does the gentleman from virginia rise? >> madam speaker, i ask permission to address the house for five minutes. the speaker pro tempore: mr. perriello of west virginia will replace ms. woolsey and will be recognized for five minutes. mr. pierluisi: -- mr. perriello: this morning i rose to talk about an educator, a civic leader and a tireless advocate for fairness. tonight, i rise for the passing of another individual, minute bowl, who was raid to rest at the national cathedral. he was the tallest player to play in the nba.

but to those of us that followed his issues in sudan and africa, he's a giant for other reasons. he's a giant for his humanitarian work. he's a jind standing up for injustice and unfairness, the war against the southern sued niece where so many christians and traditionalists had suffered for so many years. too many in our country fight to become famous. he was an individual with such tremendous character that he used fame as a means to help those let fortunately. after growing up in sudan and having a chance to remove himself to the united states where he could have lived a comfortable life of riches, he chose instead to give everything he had, his money, his time and his energy to protect those suffering back in his homeland. he became a hero not just on the basketball floor but he became a hero to many evangelical christians, to people of all faith, to lost boys back in sudan and to

people all over the world for being a shining example of someone who chose to always stand for justice. a word engraved in the dyess behind me, and understanding the spirit he was as a shot blocker, was even more fearless in his own life in standing up. and not just doing the easy work of writing a check but always being willing to go back and spend time on the ground, often at great personal risk to his security and to his health. and was even willing to speak out against regimes that were not only enemies of the people of that country but often of our own. he was a hero to many of us who looked at the fact that many will look back through history and say, how did we allow 30,000 of god's children to die every day of hunger and preventable disease? he was a man who not only made this town in washington proud when he was with the then bullets but all over the country inspired many to say, what can i give, what can i sacrifice for those who are

suffering or not having the blessings that we have? and he did it all with a tremendous sense of humor. mr. bowl spent his last few days in my district in charlottesville, virginia, at the university of virginia, and we were honored to him in for the fortunate and far too early passing of this great hero. but i hope today people will take a moment, not only to say a prayer to him and his family and all of those in sudan who continue to suffer, but take some inspiration from his legacy as someone who came were very rough circumstances, got to the top of the world and did nothing but look back to how he could help those less fortunate. he's an inspiration to all those. he's a joint of a humanitarian and he's been -- he's a giant of a humanitarian and he's been a warrior of injustice and fairness. with that we honor him today. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. mr. jones of north carolina. >> madam speaker, i ask to speak the time. -- take the time.

the speaker pro tempore: mr. jones will be recognized for five minutes. mr. jones: i was to share some words from george well. he wrote on the 20th of this year. subtitle is "an n.c.o. recognizing a flawed afghanistan strategy." as a noncommissioned officer serving in afghanistan, he explains why the rules of engagement for u.s. troops are too prohibited for coalition forces to achieve sustained tactical success. receiving mortar fire during an overnight mission, his unit called for a 155 halitzer illumination round to be fired to find the enemy's location. the request was rejected, and i quote, madam speaker, on the grounds that it might cause class rale damage. the n.c.o. says that the only thing that comes down from an illumination round is a

canister, and the likelihood of hitting someone or something was akin to that of being struck by lightning. i further read from this article, returning from a mission, his unit took casualties from an improvised explosive device that the unit knew had been placed no more than an hour earlier. and i quote again, there were villagers laughing at u.s. casualties and two suspicious individuals was seen fleeing the scene and entering a home. u.s. forces are no longer allowed to search homes without afghan national security forces personnel present. but when his unit asked afghan police to search the house, the police refused on grounds that the people in the house are good people. madam speaker, afghanistan is a chaotic situation. as my friend, mr. mcgovern said, they have a corrupt government, there's not

anything we can do to take a country that's never been a nation to make it a nation. and, madam speaker, i along with congressman jeff miller and congressman doug lamborn, have asked the chairman and the ranking member of the armed services committee to hold classified hearings on what's called rules of engagement. i wish i could read this entire article, but i can't because of time. but i want to read the close of george will's column and george will is a conservative. president obama has counted on his 2011 runup to re-election being smooth by three developments in 2010, the health care legislation becoming popular after enactment, job creation acceleration briskly and afghanistan conditions improving significantly. i further read, the first two are not happening. he can decisively influence