different, the house had a registration fee, an annual registration fee that is not included in the senate version. senate version. there are a number of tax issues with the senate bill that we have a problem with in the house that if it's not included in the c.r., the food safety bill would be subject to what we call blue slipping here in the house of representatives. so it really is difficult to be in opposition to the food safety bill, because of the unity of purpose and the spirit of cooperation that existed in the energy and commerce committee when the food safety legislation was passed last year. but our friends in the other body, as is more often than not the case have tended to ignore

our work product and send us theirs at the last moment with a take it or leave it attitude. ranking member and soon to be agricultural committee chairman, frank lucas and i have sent a letter to our speaker suggesting that we would be more than willing to go to conference with our friends in the other body. we are going to be in session at least another week, perhaps two. we could have a conference. we could probably agree on a bipartisan, bicameral food safety bill that would pass muster in both bodies. i'm still hopeful that might occur. with regards to other items in the continuing resolution that are not part of the food safety act, there are numerous things that we find objectionable. the f.c.c., the federal communication commission is going to receive $350 million,

which is an increase of over 4.5% from fiscal year 2010 and more than $14 million than what they perhaps asked for. in the continuing resolution in terms of health provisions, there is funding for several sections of the health care law that we believe to be objectionable. the funding for public awareness, for example. so far, h.h.s. has spent over $3 million for television ads featuring one of my favorite actors, andy griffith. "the andy griffith show," one of my favorite television shows when i was growing up, but i have a little bit of problem watching mr. griffith talk to seniors about the important new benefits of the current health

care law as a pitch master for something that in all likelihood we are going to change, perhaps even repeal next year. independent groups have found that some of these ads have misled seniors. they claim benefits that will be available while ignoring cuts to medicare advantage and others in the medicare payment rate. this is misleading and unfortunate. in the area of telecommunications, it exempts the universal service fund from the anti-deficiency act. this would allow the government to obligate money to carrier subsidies before we have the money in hand. most of us on the minority side, soon to be the majority side of the aisle, find that to be very objectionable and quite frankly, irresponsible. so i again on the food safety

bill that passed the house, i voted for it. i have nothing but respect and comply mepts for mr. waxman, mr. dingell, mr. pallone and others, but the c.r. version of food safety that we are being asked to vote on today is not the version that came out of the house. for that reason, i oppose and the basic c.r. overall, there are numerous reasons from an energy and commerce perspective to oppose that. we would ask for a no vote and i reserve the balance of my time the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves the balance of his time. the gentleman from michigan. mr. dingell: i yield to the chairman of the energy and commerce committee 1 1/2 minutes. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. waxman: the house passed the food safety bill a year ago in july, 2009. and we waited for the senate to

act and they recently acted by 73 to 25 in favor of the legislation. when we had it before us, there were 283 supporters. now, the senate made some changes in the bill, but all of the advocacy groups have told us that f.d.a. needs this legislation to be able to protect the american people from unsafe food, whether it's domestic or foreign imported foods. this legislation gives them important tools to have clear authority to issue and require manufacturers to meet strong enforceable standards to ensure the safety of various types of foods. this bill does not create unnecessary burdens for farmers and small businesses. it would allow f.d.a. to exercise their new authorities and require manufacturers to implement actions like preventive systems to stop

outbreaks before they occur. i would have preferred the house bill rather than the amendment in the senate bill, but sometimes you have to accept a change that you may not favor at first blush. but to have us defeat this bill and have the american people go without the tools at f.d.a.'s hands to stop unsafe foods would be irresponsible. i urge support for the legislation. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves the balance of his time. the gentleman from texas. mr. barton: continue to reserve. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from texas continues to reserve his time. the gentleman from michigan. mr. dingell: we would be delighted to receive extra time. at this time, i yield to the distinguished the gentleman from new jersey, chairman of the subcommittee on health, committee on energy and commerce, one of the original sponsors, 1 1/2 minutes.

mr. pallone: thank you, chairman dingell and all the work you have done on this bill and so many other bills. there shouldn't be any more time for delay. every time we have a food safety crisis, eggs, spinach or pepper, we shake our heads and say we don't have the tools to protect it. each year 76 million americans are sickened from consuming contaminated food and 5,000 people die. as the bill we are going to vote on today perfect? certainly not. the food safety act would give the f.d.a., the ability and the authority to protect consumers from contaminated foods. f.d.a. will ensure food safety through more frequent inspection, the development of a food trace-back system to pinpoint the source and enhance pours to ensure that imported foods are safe.

it helps to ensure that food is safe before it is distributed, before it reaches store shelves and the kitchens of american families. we have the most productive and most sufficient food distribution system in the world but we need to have the safest food supply. people need to know the foods they select and males they put on the kitchen tails are safe. we started this job in the house. let's finish it today. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. the gentleman from texas. mr. barton: i continue to reserve. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves the balance of his time. mr. dingell: if the gentleman from texas would yield me time, i would be delighted. mr. barton: i will yield to the gentleman two minutes. mr. dingell: i want to commend him for his help on this legislation. mr. barton: on the house-passed bill. mr. dingell: i want to address that because i want the house to understand the great job the gentleman did and the fact that

the senate in an unusual action did only slight damage to our bill. at this time, i yield to my distinguished friend from michigan, mr. stupak. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from michigan is recognized for 1 1/2 minutes. mr. stupak: i rise to support this continuing resolution which includes the food safety act. i want to thank chairman dingell, mr. waxman and mr. pallone and other members of the leadership to make this important legislation an important priority. the act will provide the f.d.a. with some of the resources and authority to effectively monitor our food supply. as chairman of the subcommittee on oversight investigation, i have held 13 food safety hearings, examining the failures of the f.d.a. and food industry to protect our nation's food supply. the findings of these investigations highlighted the needs for the first major overhaul of our food safety laws

in 70 years. among its key provisions, this would establish a food tracing system and provide the f.d.a. with recall authority. this bill is not perfect, but it is improvement over current law. i urge the next congress to look closely at providing the f.d.a. with a dedicated revenue extreme for inspection, requiring country of origin labeling and giving the f.d.a. the subpoena power it needs. despite the lack of these provisions, this bill as compromised with the senate, is a good bill and one that deserves to be passed by this congress and signed into law this year. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. the gentleman from texas has two minutes remaining and the gentleman from michigan has six minutes remaining. mr. barton: i'm reserving. i have no speakers. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves the balance of his time. the gentleman from michigan. mr. dingell: mr. speaker, i thank the distinguished the gentleman from michigan who is

leaving us at the end of this congress for his outstanding leadership and chairman of the oversight subcommittee and the outstanding work he did so we can pass this legislation. at this time i yield to the distinguished the gentlewoman from connecticut, ms. delauro 1 1/2 minutes. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman from connecticut is recognized for 1 1/2 minutes. ms. delauro: mr. speaker, i rise today in support of this continuing resolution and especially the food safety provision. they represent a good first step in reforming our food safety system and reducing foodborne illness. this house passed much stronger food safety legislation in july, 2009. the bill before us today still includes critical reform and deserves our support. it provides the f.d.a. with several authorities that will help the agency better prevent food-borne illness, including

increased inspection to inspect records relating to recalls, the creation of more accurate food facility registry, improved traces in the event of an outbreak, and certification of certain food imports as meeting all food safety requirements. it will help us identify food-borne outbreaks more quickly. food safety should be a vital component of our national security and our job as the people's elected representatives and when it comes to the real potential of a full blown food-borne epidemic, we have been playing a dangerous game for far too long. our food safety efforts should not -- will not end with the passage of this bill. i believe we must establish a single food safety agency, one that will consolidate all the food safety functions spread across 15 federal departments under one roof. i will continue to fight for the single agency.

i believe it is needed to ensure that the food in our supermarkets, restaurants and kitchens are safe. nonetheless, the food safety provisions in today's resolution are a great first step. i urge my colleagues to support them. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman's time has expired. the gentleman from texas continues to reserve. the gentleman from michigan. mr. dingell: at this time, i have no further speakers until i close. i believe it's the other side to close. and i invite my dear friend from texas to say whatever he has in mind. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from texas has two minutes remaining. mr. barton: i appreciate the speaker's indulgence. we are going to have to suggest that members on the minority side to vote no on the c.r.

because of a number of reasons because our friends on the appropriations committee have alluded to. if we could have a conference between the house confereys and the senate conferees on the food safety bill, we could come to some reasonable compromises that we could recommend a vote for the food safety bill as a stand-alone bill. that is still possible to do or would be possible if the speaker of the house and the majority leader of the senate, chairman of the appropriate committees in the house and senate were willing to go down that road. in this congress, those types of conferences have been far and few between. so we're stuck here in a situation where you have a reasonably good piece of legislation that passed the house, a not as reasonably good piece of legislation that came out of the senate at the last

moment and being attached to a continuing resolution that shows the party in the majority in both this body and the other body have refused to take their funding responsibilities very seriously for the last year. so -- so as much good as in the food safety part of the bill and as hard as they have worked on that aspect of it, i still believe the correct vote on this bill today is a no vote. we do ask that members vote no on this. the good parts of the legislation will we will hopefully try to bring back very quickly in the next congress and have a vote in regular order early in the year. with that, i would ask for a no vote on the bill today. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from michigan. mr. dingell: i yield to the distinguished gentleman from california for the purposes of a

unanimous consent request. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. >> thank you very much, mr. chairman, mr. speaker. i rise to revise and extend my remarks. i appreciate the great work chairman dingell did on this effort, unfortunately i can't support the continuing resolution, the food safety effort, the good work we did in the house that was sent to the senate, the senate amendments make it a flawed measure. this process should be based on science, not based on miles and sales and for those reasons i unfortunately will oppose the resolution. the speaker pro tempore: pl dingell: mr. speaker, i rise to close, i yield smeist such time as eremains. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. dingell: i want to commend my dear friend from texas for the superb job he did working with us on this bill. the house bill was a superb bill, came out unanimously of

committee and passed the house. it has the support of everybody in the industry and the consumer support administrations and the food and drug administration. i want to commend chairman waxman, chairman pallone, chairman stupak and ms. degette for their outstanding leadership. mr. stupak did a very fine job of conducting the hearings which demonstrated the weaknesses of the existing law and made it possible for us to establish the need that has to be done. in my extension of remarks, i'll include the list of supporters of this legislation in industry and amongst consumers and i urge my colleagues to address that because this is a good and a strong bill. i'm going to commend rachel and eric on the committee and two members of the staff who worked directly for me on this important matter, mr. virgil miller and ms. katie campbell

who did superb work here. the legislation before us has been changed by the senate but not in any significant way. i agree with the gentleman from texas that we should be going to conference with the senate but regrettably, while we would be doing that, we would be failing to pass this legislation and winding up with a situation where americans would continue dying because poo food and drug is not able to do its job and protect us from bad foods imported into this cubtry but from some which is domestically produced this legislation gives food and drug the authorities they need to seize and to compel manufacturers to use best technology for the protection of american consumers. in other words, the work which is done now by food and drug, which is simply wrong doing, we

would change the fact by addressing the problems before they become real by ensuring manufacturing uses the best practices. they recognize that the food safety of the united states as well as the food safe i have to goods manufactured here is threatened by imports from places like china where they put melamine in milk products to up the amount of protein in milk. something which is poisoning babies and adults. and of course the roster of unsafe foods which we see come swoog the marketplace is a continuing source of fear, particularly when you contemplate the fact that it is coming in from china because we import now somewhere between 1/4 and 1/3 of our food. there's not time enough to conduct a proper investigation of the differences between the two bodies and a proper

conference between the two bodies. i regret this as much as anyone. it is not the fault of this house that this has taken so long. it has taken the senate since the bill was passed in the house in june of last year, not this year, and they have dawdled around and dawdled around as the senate always does with the end result that we are forced to take the senate bill. the problem which existed has been corrected in this legislation and we will find that the bill, although it is not as good as the house bill, will provide enormous advantages in the safety of american food products and food products sold to american citizens of -- by everyone who sells not only american companies but also the foreigners. i had observed that we cannot properly protect americans from unsafe foods imported unless we impose similar and identical

burdens on americans because of the trade laws. i urge my colleagues to recognize that this legislation is something which is going to stop the death of about 5,000 americans a year, about 300,000 of whom get sick and about 77 -- about 300,000 who get sick, and 77 million who are sick and 300,000 are hospitalized, this is a very serious problem and it is my hope that we will be back next year with legislation to make the other food and drug powers sufficient to address the needs of the american public in pharmaceuticals, in other things under the jurisdiction of the food and drug administration. i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman's time has expired. all time for debate has expired. pursuant to clause 1c of rule 19, further consideration of this motion is postponed.

mr. barton: may i ask for a vote on this. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman rise. mr. barton: i have a parliamentary inquiry. under the rules of the house, when is it propper to request a roll call vote on the item just debated? the speaker pro tempore: when proceedings resume, the question will be put to a voice vote. mr. barton: when might that be? the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman will have to consult with leadership. mr. barton: ok, thank you, mr. speaker. the speaker pro tempore: the chair thanks the gentleman. for what purpose does the gentleman from colorado rise? >> i send to the desk a privilege red port from the committee on rules for filing under the rule. the speaker pro tempore: the clerk will report the title. >> report to accompany house resolution 1756, resolution providing for consideration of the senate amendments to the bill h.r. 5281 to amend title

28, united states code, to clarify and improve certain provisions relating to the removal of litigation against federal officers or agencies to federal courts and for other purposes. the speaker pro tempore: referred to the house calendar and ordered printed. the chair lays before the house the following enrolled bill. the clerk: h.r. 6399, an act to improve certain administrative operations of the office of the architect of the capitol and for other purposes. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from colorado seek recognition? mr. polis: by direction of the committee on rule i call up

resolution 1756 and to ask for its immediate consideration. the speaker pro tempore: the clerk will are report the resolution. the clerk: house resolution 1756, resolved that upon adoption of this resolution, it shall be in order to take from the speaker's table the bill, h.r. 5281, to amend title 28, united states code, to clarify and improve certain provisions relating to the removal of litigation against federal officers or agencies to federal courts and for other purposes with the senate amendments thereto and to consider in the house without intervention of any point of order except those arising under clause 10 of rule 21 a single motion offered by the chairman of the committee of the judiciary or his designee that the house concur in the senate amendments numbered one and two and the house concur in senate amendment number three with the amendment printed in the report of the committee on rules accompanying this resolution.

the senate amendments and the motion shall be considered as read. the motion shall be debatable for one hour equally divided and controlled by the chair and ranking minority member of the committee on the judiciary. the previous question shall be considered as ordereded on the motion to final adoption without intervening motion or demand for division of the question. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from colorado is recognized for one hour. mr. polis: for the purposes of debate only, i yield the customary 30 minutes to the gentlewoman from north carolina, dr. foxx. i yield myself such time as i may consume and ask unanimous consent that all members be given five legislative days to revise and extend their remarks on house resolution 1756. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, the gentleman is recognized. mr. polis: the dream act is one of the most important pieces of legislation i've ever discussed on the floor of the house. it means everything to hundreds of thousands of de facto americans. to them and all of us it is supremely important and supremely urgent. we have a choice between forcing the brain drain from our country

or retaining the best and brightest to contribute to our country and make it stronger and more prosperous. the young people covered under this bill are those any parent would be proud of, sons and daughters, neighbors, classmates, prom kings and queens, football players and cheerleaders who stayed in school, played by the rules, worked hard, stayed out of trouble. the children of our great nation and we too should be proud, not proud of the broken and dysfunctional immigration system and lack of enforcement that put them in this situation. not proud of their parents' violation of our immigration laws no matter how out of touch with reality those laws may be. not proud of the indignities, discrimination and fear that these young people have faced at every turn but proud of how these young americans have overcome adversity and demonstrated american exceptionalism. their pluck, ingenuity,

ambition, drive and ingenuity in pursuit of, as the declaration of independence puts it, life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. they embody the best of our american values and we should be proud to call them out countrymen. this is a great nation and we will be stronger, greater, more produces produces still with the full participation of these young men and women, each with the opportunity to go as far in life as their ambition and ability takes them. i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman are reserves. the gentlewoman from north carolina. ms. foxx: thank you, mr. speaker. i yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman is recognized. ms. foxx: thank you, mr. speaker. i thank my colleague from colorado for yielding time. mr. speaker, today i rise in opposition to the rule for h.res. 6497 and i urge my colleagues to vote against it. mr. speaker, i don't think there's anyone on our side of

the aisle that isn't empathetic to the fact that the youth brought to america's children did not come here illegally of their own accord. i certainly feel that way. however, the majority of immigrants come to america because of what our nation stands for, and that it is rooted in our foundation. the corner -- cornerstone being our rule of law. in order to maintain our liberties and freedom, congress must always respect and preserve the rule of law. we must exercise our principles in fairness, not inequity and i would argue that amnesty is not fairness but a direct assault on the rule of law. our immigration system is in disarray. and any immigration legislation we consider should begin with securing the border and should go through regular order. with that, mr. speaker, i reserve the balance of my -- of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the

gentlewoman reserves the balance of her time. the gentleman from colorado. mr. polis: i yield the gentleman from florida the opportunity to submit a statement for the record. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman is recognized. >> i thank the gentleman for the opportunity to submit my statement for the record on behalf of thousands of florida students, businesses and family. mr. polis: i have no additional speakers on this side. i'd like to inquire how many speakers the other side has. mr. wool -- ms. foxx: we have several speakers. mr. polis: i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman from north carolina. ms. foxx: i would like to yield four minutes to the gentleman from florida, mr. lincoln diaz-balart. mr. diaz-balart: thank you. i think it's unfortunate that the way the majority leadership has treated this issue. see tha

bringing the stimulus and the cap and trade and the health care legislation, all of the political capital that the president and this majority leadership had has been exhausted and after receiving that defeat at the polls, after all that, they bring this legislation to the floor. i think the process is most unfortunate. and the way in which they have handled this legislation, mr. speaker, shows the lack of interest that they have had in it. that doesn't negate, however, the fact that the legislation is extremely important and if there's anything that distinguishes the united states of america, i think in an

appropriate and admirable way is that we are -- you stand or fall in the united states based on your decisions, not the decisions of your grandparents or their parents or grandparents, your decision determines your reputation in the united states of america. somewhat we are dealing with in this legislation is who. we are dealing with, number one, the kind of immigration that we work day in and day out to attract and retain in the united states. college educated people who have become so after extraordinary hard work. and secondly, mr. speaker, after thinking about what we're trying to do, it all boils down to the

decisions. i referred to previously as to the fact that the united states is distinguished by the fact that we stand or fall, the american people stand or fall on our decisions. the students that we are dealing with in this. they didn't come to the united states out of status. the only decisions they have made in their lives have been to work hard rkts to study hard, make our communities proud. this legislation seeks to give them an opportunity to make their situation regular, normal so they can contribute even more to the greatness of this nation. at the end of the day, despite the unfortunate process, we cannot stop thinking about who we are dealing with with this legislation. that's why i've been for a decade a sponsor or co-sponsor

of this legislation and that's why i'm proud to support it this evening. and i urge my colleagues to join me in supporting this legislation. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves the balance of his time. the gentlewoman from north carolina. ms. foxx: i would like to yield seven minutes to my distinguished colleague and soon to be chairman of the judiciary committee, mr. smith from texas. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized for seven minutes. mr. smith: i thank my colleague for yielding and distinguished member of the rules committee for giving me time. mr. speaker, i oppose this rule. the so-called dream act is a nightmare for the american people. and in this proposed rule is a nightmare for house members. once again, we are considering a bill that members have not had adequate time to review and has not gone through the proper committee process and we cannot amend.

this is far from the open and transparent process we were promised. the majority promised that members of this body would be able to review legislation 24 hours prior to a vote. we have only had the text of this bill for a few hours. so much for that commitment to the american people. the majority will have present venlted members from offering amendments and the majority has even eliminated the one possible way the bill could be improved, a motion to recommit. this undemocratic way of considering legislation stands in contrast to the way republicans will operate in the next congress. come january january, the republican majority will show the democrats what it's like to have a fair, honest and open debate. we will educate them on the democratic process. just over a month ago, the american people rebuked the way the america democrats have run the house of representatives.

one might think that the majority would change their ways, but on it seems that the democrats have learned nothing and have forgotten everything. if this rule is adopted, we will be forced to consider a bill that we will have no chance to amend, even though it puts the interest of illegal immigrants ahead of the interests of american citizens. it hurts american workers, rewards law breakers and encourages defiance of the most fundamental american value, the rule of law. today americans face an unemployment rate of 9.8%. the unemployment rate has exceeded 9.5% for 16 straight months, the longest stretch since the great depression. it makes them eligible to work legally in the united states. this congress should not allow

unemployment. i'm sympathetic to the young immigrant children who are brought here by their parents because their parents disregarded united states immigration laws, they are in a difficult position. this bill actually rewards the very illegal immigrant parents who knowingly violated our laws. once they become citizens and turn 21, if they haven't already, they can sponsor their parents, spouse for citizenship and others and this will further hurt american workers and american taxpayers. i -- this new amnesty will encourage more illegal immigration because other illegal immigrants will bring their children to the united states because they expect to benefit from the dream act. as soon as an individual files

an application, the department of homeland security is prohibited from removing them. so there is an automatic stay from deportation for anyone who applies under this bill. and criminals are not excluded. those with histories of passport fraud, visa fraud and even driving under the influence will be granted amnesty. the bill enacts disastrous policies, the lack of a fair and open process is another reason to oppose it and this rule. the majority has brought this bill to the floor without giving members adequate time to review it. the majority has brought this bill to the floor without holding any hearings on the bill or its impact, thus depriving members of the ability to learn how the bill would work or not work. the majority has brought this bill to the floor without committee approval, so members have not had the opportunity to offer amendments. the majority has eliminated the

one way the minority is guaranteed to address the people's concerns, a motion to recommit. in addition to the negative impact of the dream act on american citizens and rule of law, the undemocratic procedures justify strong opposition to the rule. madam speaker, i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from colorado. mr. polis: i reserve the balance of my time to allow the gentlelady to close. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves the balance of his time. the gentlewoman from north carolina. ms. foxx: i yield three minutes to the the gentleman from georgia, mr. gingrey. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized for three minutes. mr. gingrey: thank you, madam speaker and i thank the gentlelady for yielding and i rise in very strong opposition to the rule of h.r. 5 81, the

so-called dream act. in fact, many of those constituents who abide by the rule of law would call this the nightmare act rather than the dream act. this legislation has been misnamed from the beginning as an avenue to obtain the american dream, but let me perfectly clear, h.r. 5281 is nothing short of amnesty for illegal immigrants. according to the migration policy institute, two million immigrants will be eligible for amnesty under this bill. that number is not too difficult to imagine given it would allow these individuals once they are naturalized and become 21 years of age to exploit our broken system by sponsoring their immediate relatives with no numerical cap. we call that shame migration and can bring in 179 other individuals. the potential for fraud is great considering that one provision

of the bill mandates that the immigrant has resided in the united states since they turned 16. my question is simple. how can we verify how long an illegal immigrant has been in the united states. we cannot and should not require ourselves to rely on the word of individuals whose very presence in the united states is illegal. so madam speaker, we all know that the requirements to become a legalized permanent resident do not actually mandate that the potential naturalized citizen complete any college or degree, they have to show up and go for two years. if the bill attempts to educate immigrant work force in america, this legislation will not achieve that goal. in closing, h.r. 5281 will open the doors, yes, to criminal jailen obtaining permanent status. this legislation allows an alien

to submit an application for permanent resident status and the department of homeland security will no longer be allowed to deport them, criminal or not. oppose this rule and the underlying legislation. and with that, i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from georgia yields back. the gentleman from colorado reserves. the gentlelady from north carolina. ms. foxx: thank you, madam speaker. i would now like to yield three minutes to the distinguished the gentleman from california, mr. rohrabacher. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized for three minutes. rorkrork i rise in -- mr. rohrabacher: i rise in opposition to the rule and dream act. the american people are opposed because they understand it is nothing more than mass amnesty that will undoubtedly encourage millions more to illegally come here to our country and we are being told by the other side of the aisle this is not amnesty.

if it walks and quaks like a duck and this may be a lame duck, but it is amnesty. the dream act focuses on promising young foreigners a bright future if their parents choose to break the law. this will unquestionably bring millions of parents across our borders illegally and once the children gain citizenship, their parents and other members will be put on the fast track to citizenship through family unification and will be eligible for all the rights and services currently enjoyed by american citizens. moreover, if an illegal immigrant happens to be a racial majority, then that individual will be entitled to all the education, employment and other preferences for minorities that are written into our federal and

state laws as soon as their legal status is granted. as a result, the dream act would put them on par with american citizens and in many cases would put them ahead of most american citizens who are not minority and ahead of legal immigrants as well. it is not being cold hearted to acknowledge that every dollar spent on an illegal immigrant is one dollar less for our own children, our own seniors and all those in our society who have played by the rules, paid taxes and expected their government was going to watch out for them and their needs before giving privileges and scares resources on illegals who have not played by the rules. yes, this is the dream act all right. it is the dream of millions living outside our borders to come to our country and par take of the health, education and other benefits that we can

scarcely afford for our own citizens and legal immigrants who have played by the rules, worked hard to build a better home and life for our families. this is not the dream act. this is the nightmare act. i appreciate our nation's immigrant heritage. we have more legal immigration into our country annually than all the other nations combined and we should be proud of this, proud that we are generous and open, but we must be honest how many we can absorb without hurting the lives of our citizens and the legal immigrants that came here within the boundary of the law. the dream act will serve as a magnet -- i would ask for another 30 seconds. ms. foxx: i would like to give him 30 seconds. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized for 30 seconds. mr. rohrabacher: we must oppose policies like the dream act that will serve as a magnet to those who would flock here illegally. i urge my colleagues to reject

this attempt to rob our children of this dream and vote no on this irresponsible legislation which will do know more than bring millions more illegally across our border and only this time they will bring their kids, all of them. i ask i ask my colleagues to vote in on sillings to this dream nightmare act. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman from north carolina. ms. foxx: madam speaker, an inquiry of the chair, i'm wondering if the gentleman from cal has no speakers or is simply going to keep all his time until after our speakers have spoken? mr. polis: i have no further speakers. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman from north carolina. ms. foxx: i now would like to yield one minute to our distinguished colleague from florida, mr. mario diaz-balart. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized for one minute.

mr. diaz-balart: thank you, madam speaker. for four years the democratic majority has promised to fix our broken immigration system. the president promised to pass immigration reform in the first 12 months of his administration. just another broken promise. instofede passing meaningful legislation to secure our borders, this congress has refused to do so, madam speaker. and now, in the final hours of their majority, they now bring up this bill. just another example of why american people overwhelmingly rejected this majority. on the merits, those who stand to benefit from this bill include thousands of young adults raised in our country and know no other country but america. they simply wish to pursue the american dream and have the opportunity to study to work hard to serve in our armed forces. they are exactly the type of people that we want in this united states of america. i therefore urge my colleagues to support this legislation. thank you and i yield back.

the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from colorado. mr. polis: i reserve the balance of our time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman from north carolina. ms. foxx: i would like to yield four minutes to the distinguished gentleman from iowa, mr. king. mr. king: i thank the gentlelady for yielding and rise in opposition to this rule and the bill, h.r. 5281. i agree with some of the presenters before me, it is not a dream act, it's a nightmare act. it's one of those pieces of legislation that if the proponents actually understood the components of them, some of them would be lost, some would change their mind and some would wish they could but they're on record and can't. the nightmare act is amnesty. we need to come to an agreement of what amnesty is. i have long said that to grant amnesty is to pardon immigration lawbreakers and reward them with the object of their crime. this seeks to reward those who

are under the law eligible for being sent back thire home countries. if everybody that says they came in from their first birthday or the first day of their birth until the last day before they turn 16. we don't have any way of verifying this. the certification and background checks are impossible. about 50% of the people who come into the united states across our southern border don't have a legal existence in their home country, meaning they don't have a birth certificate or track of their life, so it's impossible to do background checks. they can say what they want to say they are, they can say they were born in the united states or brought into the united states or they can say they were done so when they were 15 years old and they could have come into the united states when they were 29 years and a day old and still be eligible under this bill because there's not a way to verify and -- this is the thing that's designed to target at our heart strings and it opens the door for amnesty and

lays the foundation for a whole other series of amnesty components. truthfully, this process is illegitimate. this is a repudiated, rejected 111th congress, the american people went to the polls in unprecedented numbers and they voted in unprecedent -- an unprecedented number of people out of office and put new faces in. this lame duck session should never be used for a large agenda. it's already been invalidated. keep faith with the american people, lame duck sessions are to provide the functions of government that can't be legitimately provided until the new congress is gaveled in on january 4. this process of no committee hearings, no subcommittee hearings, no subcommittee markup, no full committee hearing, no full committee markup no access to this legislation that's changed four times, there are four different iterations here on the floor and now a same day rule up before the rules committee that's still the only committee i know of that meets without cameras,

without the public presence knowing what's going on up there. i look forward to an open door and sunlight on the rules committee. but this c.b.o. score they tout as a plus for the government ignores that the c.b.o. score says it's a $5 billion deficit spending in the second decade and likely for each decade thereafter. it ignores c.i.s., the center for immigration services, score which zhorse cost to local government, state and local government at $6.2 billion annually for the cast of providing education to the people who would otherwise be eligible for deportation. it triples the number of green cards and provides safe harbor. safe harbor for, and i quote, any alien, close quote who has a pending application under the dream act. if someone comes in, they can be 79 years old or 99 years old, allege that they're younger than that, file the application under the dream act and now we have to go forward and adjudicate and determine, you really weren't 16

when you came into america and you weren't under 30 when you filed this application but it's certain that if this becomes law, there will be people into their late 30's, perhaps into their 40's that would be granted citizenship under this because it takes that long to process. there exemptions for fraud, exemptions that go so far as so reward it in a way that if someone falsely -- falsely claims sintship and was deported, this dream act is an amnesty act, there's more to be said in a broader debate, i look forward to that. i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from colorado. mr. polis: i reserve. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman from north carolina. ms. foxx: i would like to yield two minutes to the distinguished lady from florida, ms. ros-lehtinen. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman is recognized. ms. ros-lehtinen: thank you, mr. speaker. i thank my good friend the gentlelady for the time and i

stand here, mr. speaker, in support of the dream act. the time has come for this legislative body to do what is right and to not punish students for the mistakes that their parents have made. this legislation will give many broith, talented, patriotic young men and women the opportunity to stay in this country of, a country that they love and to continue their college education or service in a proud -- our proud military. these young people are motivated and only want the chance to give back to this country, their country. the dream act is not amnesty. it will allow eligible students to get on a pathway for permanent legal status later on. those who receive conditional legal status will not be eligible for medicaid, food stamps or any other government services. this bill is a sensible and pragmatic compromise that reflects the generosity and the

good will of this country and its citizens, a country that opened up its arms to me as a refugee child and to my parents askew ban refugees. the dream act also makes economic sense. i have had the opportunity, mr. speaker, to meet with many dream act students or dreamers. one of the dreamers with whom i met is gabby pacheko. this remarkable young woman's story emphasizes the urgency and need for this legislation. gabby grew up in my district in south florida and excelled academically. he she graduated from high school third in her class and was student government president at my alma mater, miami-dade college, where she received a bachelor's in special ed. she received scholarship to attend a master's program here in d.c. but had to go back to miami to revive her immigration status. what struck me most about gabby and the other dreamers with whom

i met is their optimism and their determination to give back to their country. they made it clear, mr. speaker, that all they want is an opportunity to prove themselves, no more and no less. i hope my colleagues will do what is right and help gabby and the other dreamers the chance to pursue their american dream in the american tradition. i thank the speaker and i thank the gentlelady for her time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from colorado. mr. polis: i reserve. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman from north carolina. ms. foxx: i'd like to yield two minutes to the distinguished gentleman from california, mr. royce. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized for two minutes. mr. royce: i rise to oppose this rule, mr. speaker. what happened to openness and transparency? we're operating here under same-day consideration with no opportunity for a motion to recommit. we're in the 11th hour of this

congress and even if we and even if the american people had had a chance to read what was in the bill, it doesn't matter what the seeming requirements are that are explained because the bill allows the secretary of homeland security to waive the requirements. to waive the requirements. under this bill, any illegal immigrant may apply for an application for cancellation of removal and for conditional nonimmigrant status. d.h.s. may not remove any alien who has a pending application for conditional status this status is valid for five years, it can be extended by d.h.s. for another five years. all the while, the individual will be allowed to work in the united states and travel outside of the u.s. with every amnesty we have had a

problem with massive fraud, about 1/4 of those legalized under the law received amnesty fraudulently. as one former u.s. citizen and immigration service employee told us, the system that exists now can't hand they will work load that exists now. there's a bag lock with -- back log of three million people waiting to get their cases decided. what duge will happen when we have millions of new cases on top of that to investigate? the fact is right now you can go on line, buy a fraudulent document a fraudulent diploma for $180, along with a fraudulent g.e.d. there is no additional staffing in this bill, no funding to actually authenticate, you know, the additional personnel necessary to hand they will increase in the number of cases, it's not in this bill. how do we prevent the type of fraud we've seen in 1986?

how do we deal with the fact that since 1986 we've had three times as many immigrants coming into the country as a result of passing that amnesty, many of them coming in fraudulently? i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from colorado. mr. polis: i reserve. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman from north carolina. ms. foxx: i would like to yield two minutes to the distinguished gentleman from illinois, mr. johnson. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized for two minutes. mr. johnson: thank you, congressman foxx, mr. speaker, i have to say that in my five terms here, has to take the award for the most creatively misleading acronym that i've ever seen attached to a bill. this may constitute a quote-unquote dream for a small number of people who choose to disregard our disobey the law. but it is in fact a sobering reality for america.

the stark reality for citizens all over the nation who obeyed the law and to whom this is an affront. it's an affront and a stark reality that middle american families struggling to pay their bills and send their children to college only to find their own sons and daughters bumped aside by illegals in the process. it's an affront and a sobering reality to the american taxpayers and their children and grandchildren who are going to pay this bill to the tune of billions of dollars over the future and it's also a reality that 10% of americans who are unemployed, who realize that the effect on the infrastructure of america in this bill is going to be absolutely negative with respect to social security benefits, jobs, loans, health care, education, and otherwise. i would suggest, mr. speaker and members of the house that our national infrastructure can't afford this. i respect the sponsors of this bill, in fact, my good friend and colleague from illinois,

congressman gutierrez is one of the primary movers of this bill and i respect the sincerity of the sponsors, but this is bad public policy for america. i would suggest that the long run benefits are far overwhelmed and overrun by what it's going to cost the american taxpayer and what it's going to cost us who believe in the rule are of law. with that, i yield my time to the distinguished lady from virginia. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. the gentleman from colorado. mr. ploice: i are reserve. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from north carolina. ms. foxx: thank you, mr. speaker. this will be our -- i will be the last speaker. mr. speaker, i really appreciate all of my colleagues coming over and making points that they made. i want to tie in to mr. johnson's comments, particularly about the rule of law. we're all sympathetic to the young people who find themselves here illegally, having been

brought here by their parents. we are sympathetic to that. but their parents left a place that was not as good a place to live as the united states. and the foundation of what makes us a great country is the rule of law. and if we let the rule of law be undermined, then we will be no better than the places that they have escaped from. i agree with mr. johnson also that this bill is very misleading, i would like to point out something that's been said by the proponents of this bill, that isn't accurate. dream act supporters would have you believe that illegal aliens who don't go to college will earn citizenship through service in the united states armed forces. armed forces. already, we have legislation that will allow that to happen. we don't need the dream act to do that, mr. speaker. if people want to enroll in the

armed forces, they can become naturalized citizens through expedited processing, obtaining their citizenship in six months. we don't need the dream act for that. mr. speaker, again, as my colleagues have pointed out, this bill has not been properly reviewed by any of the five house committees with jurisdiction. the abuse of regular order makes it impossible for members of congress and their constituents to review properly and consider legislation prior to a vote, making substantial changes to our laws which have not been properly vetted and forcing a vote in the lame duck session are reckless and irresponsible. adding insult to injury, the house passed a martial law rule. the democratic majority can bring up any bill through any time through december 18. this practice perpetrates the chaos that has consumed the

democratic majority but is a disservice to the people we are elected to serve. mr. speaker, we need to deal with the people who are here illegally and most of us want to do that. but this is not the way to do it. we need to secure our borders and once we secure the borders, then we can deal with all the other issues related to those who are here illegally. and with that, mr. speaker, i urge my colleagues to vote no on the rule. vote no on the bill. and i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady yields back. the gentleman from colorado. mr. polis: opponents of the dream act make a travesty of the rule of the law and facilitate the ongoing presence of undocumented foreign nationals which frustrates our states and cities. let me end this, if you are pulled over for a speeding ticket and you have a car, that

two-year-old doesn't get the speeding ticket. if there is a bank robber with aed toler on his back, thatted toler doesn't go to prison. fathers shall not be put to death for and sons shall not be put to death. i urge a yes vote and yield back the balance of my time and i move the previous question on the resolution. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. the previous question is ordered. question is on adoption of the resolution. those in favor say aye. those opposed, no. in the opinion of the chair, the ayes have it. ms. foxx: mr. speaker, i request the yeas and nays. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman from north carolina requests the yeas and nays. those in favor of the yeas and nays will rise. a sufficient number having arisen, yeas and nays are ordered. pursuant to clause 8, rule 20, further proceedings on this question will be postponed. pursuant to clause 1c of rule 119 further consideration of the motion offered by mr. obey will

now resume. the clerk: h.r. 3082, an act making appropriations for military construction for department of veterans affairs and related agencies for the fiscal year ending september 30, 2010 and for other purposes. the speaker pro tempore: pursuant -- resolution 1755, the previous question is ordered. question. those in favor say aye. those opposed, no. in the opinion of the chair, the ayes have it. ms. foxx: i request the yeas and nays. the speaker pro tempore: those in favor say aye. will rise and

the house will be in order. the house will be in order. will all members plose take their conversations off the floor? for what purpose does the

gentleman from michigan seek recognition? mr. conyers: mr. speaker, pursuant to house resolution 17 -- the speaker pro tempore: the house is not in order. the house will be in order. will all members please take their conversations off the floor? the gentleman from michigan is recognized. mr. conyers: thank you, mr. speaker. pursuant to house resolution 1756, i call up the bill h.r. 5281 with the senate amendment thereto and i have a motion at the desk. the speaker pro tempore: the clerk will report the title of the bill, designate the senate amendment and designate the motion. the clerk: h.r. 5281, an act to amendment 28, united states code, to clarify and improve certain provisions with regard

to litigation against federal officers to federal agencies and for other purposes. senate amendment. mr. conyers of michigan moves that the house concur in senate amendments number 1 and 2 and concur in senate amendment number 3 with an amendment. the speaker pro tempore: pursuant to house resolution 1756, the motion shall be debatable for one hour equally divided and controlled by the chair and the ranking minority member of the committee on the judiciary. the gentleman from michigan, mr. conyers, and the gentleman from texas, mr. smith, each will control 30 minutes. the chair recognizes the gentleman from michigan. mr. conyers: thank you, mr. speaker. i yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. conyers: the house is not in order. the speaker pro tempore: the house will be in order. the gentleman from michigan is recognized. mr. conyers: thank you, mr. speaker.

ladies and gentlemen of the house, i've heard so much misinformation about the dream act that i hardly know where to begin. first of all, this is not a new bill. it has existed for a decade. it's a bipartisan bill to adjust the plight of children who are brought to the united states as undocumented immigrants and grew up here, and this bill has been introduced in every congress starting on may 21, 2001. there was a hearing -- >> the house is not in order. the speaker pro tempore: the house will be in order. would members please take their conversations off the floor? the gentleman from michigan is recognized. mr. conyers: thank you, mr.

speaker. the senate, the other body had a hearing on the bill august 1. in 2003, april 19, the bill was reintroduced by our colleague from california, mr. berman. in july 31, it was begin reintroduced into the senate. in april 6, our colleagues on the other side of the aisle introduced the bill. in november 18, 2005, a senator from illinois introduced the bill. i got two pages of bills. we've got five hearings. for anybody to say there hasn't been due process on this bill

is -- i hope they feel gently corrected by research that my staff has done to make it clear that there's been an extensive legislative history on this bill. now, the second thing that i heard so much about is that the dream act is not very popular. and, again, we rush to our research and we found -- we found that the bill is very popular. most americans support the dream act. and it's been poll after poll. the majority of americans approve the dream act, and

there will be more information coming up from this. now, the next thing that we ought to really settle down and accept as fact is that the dream act will not take jobs from americans. the reason that that's pretty clear is that all the major unions in america support and endorse the dream act, and they're doing it because it's not taking jobs away from its members. nfl, sciu, u.a.w., n.e.a., a.f.t. and others. and so now that we got some of this cleared up, the next thing i would like to point out is that there are requirements.

these are not illegals. these are undocumented kids. they didn't commit a criminal act. they thought they were born here to begin with. their parents brought them here , but, look, the conditions are so voluminous. the only persons eligible is children born here to the united states and they have to be less than 29 years old to even qualify. they must have lived in the united states at least for five years. they must have graduated from an american high school. or be admitted to an institution

of higher education and they must submit biometric information and complete security and law enforcement background checks. so, this is a very rigorous bill and the last piece of stuff that i should get rid of is the fact that you can go in the united states military real quickly and be processed as a citizen. not true. as a matter of fact, you cannot join the military if you are an undocumented person. yes, that's right. so, now that we've got some of the misunderstanding out of the way, i will reserve the balance of my time.

the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves the balance of his time. the gentleman from texas is recognized. mr. smith: mr. speaker, i yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. smith: mr. speaker, i oppose this bill. the dream act is a nightmare for the american people. it insults american workers, american taxpayers and anyone who believes in the rule of law. how can we consider amnesty for millions of illegal immigrants when just last friday the department of labor reported that unemployment in america jumped up to 9.8%? this is the 19th straight month, a new record, that the jobless rate has stayed above 9%. the american people want us to focus on creating jobs and getting americans back to work. instead the democrats have brought the dream act to the floor. this bill prevents americans from getting jobs since millions of illegal immigrants will become eligible to work legally in the united states.

american workers should not have to compete with illegal workers for scarce jobs. over 27 million americans are out of work, have given up looking for work or are underemployed. the percent of hispanics out of work last montrose to 13% -- month rose to 13% and black americans rose to 15%. don't the democrats know this? are they listening to the voters? do they care? this bill proves that there is a total disconnect between the democratic party and the american people. the majority has brought this bill to the floor without holding any hearings on its impact and without committee approval, so members don't know how the bill would work or not work. in fact, the text we are considering tonight was only introduced last night. as usual under the democratic regime, no amendments are allowed. they have even eliminated the

one motion republicans are supposedly guaranteed as a way to address the people's concerns, the motion to recommit. what happened to the democrats' pro-- promise to give americans 24 hours to read the bills? and what happened to their promise of an open and fair process? these and other promises disappeared long before the election, which is another reason the election turned out as it did. the bill's supporters imply that the dream act only applies to kids in school but in reality the bill applies to illegal immigrants up to the age of 30. those are pretty old kids. and once these individuals become u.s. citizens, they can petition for their illegal immigrant parents and adult brothers and sisters to be legalized and will bring in others in an endless chain. according to the migration policy institute, the dream act would be -- would mean amnesty for over two million illegal immigrants.

but that number likely will be much higher since many illegal immigrants will fraudulently claim they came here as children or are under 30. and the federal government has no way to check whether their claims are true or not. such massive fraud occurred after the 1986 amnesty for illegal immigrants who claimed that they were agricultural workers. studies found 2/3 of all applications for the 1986 amnesty were fraudulent. dream act applicants don't even have to comply with the requirements for amnesty set out in the bill. they can get a waiver for a hardship at the discretion of the department of homeland security. under this administration, which favors mass amnesty, we can assume that nearly everyone who applies will get a hardship pass. the dream act also makes it possible for almost any illegal immigrant to obey the law. once they file an application, no matter how fraudulent, the federal government can

prohibited from deporting them. the bill requires that background checks be conducted on the beneficiaries but it will be almost impossible for the federal government to verify whether someone is who they say they are and whether they meet the requirements of the bill. furthermore, any discussion of amnesty encourages additional illegal immigration. already at least one million illegal immigrants cross our borders each year. the bill will push that number even higher. the congressional budget office estimates that the bill will increase deficits after 2020 and if the health care debate is any indication of how c.b.o. scores bills and the actual cost of the dream act will of course be much higher. and once the dream act beneficiary obtains lawful status, they are automatically exempt from the current five-year waiting period to receive public welfare benefits. so the cost of welfare benefits will be huge. we all know that the point of

this bill is to give amnesty to anyone in the country illegally and who is under 30 years old. illegal immigrants get amnesty if they have attended college or served in the military. illegal immigrants get amnesty if they can show hardship if they are sent home. illegal immigrants get to stay if they claim to be eligible under this legislation. illegal immigrants get amnesty if they use fraudulent documents because the federal government has no way to check millions of claims. illegal immigrants get amnesty even if they have committed crimes like driving under the influence, passport fraud and visa fraud. this is a bill that gives amnesty to two million or more people in the country illegally. it encourages fraud and more illegal immigration on a massive scale. there have been no hearings on this bill, no amendments allowed and those who are opposed only have 30 minutes to discuss this bill. this is a desecration of the democratic process and an insult

to americans who believe in the rule of law. the dream act puts millions of americans who have lost their jobs, are underemployed or are threatened with layoffs, it puts the interests of illegal immigrants ahead of those of law-abiding americans. mr. speaker, i urge my colleagues to strongly oppose this bill and i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves the balance of his time. the gentleman from michigan is recognized. mr. conyers: mr. speaker, i'm pleased to yield to the distinguished gentleman from arizona for a unanimous consent request. >> mr. speaker, i rise in strong support of h.r. 5281, revise and extend my remarks, ask unanimous consent to revise and extend my remarks and submit my statement to the chair. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. mr. conyers: i yield shirley berkley of nevada for a unanimous consent request. birkbirk i rise in enthusiastic -- ms. berkley: i rise in enthusiastic support of this legislation and i revise and

extend my remarks and submit my statement fored resort. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. mr. conyers: mr. speaker, i ask unanimous consent that all members have five legislative days to revise and extend their remarks. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. mr. conyers: and now i turn to the distinguished the gentlelady from california, zoe lofgren, who has worked for years on this legislation, a senior member of the judiciary committee, i yield her 1 1/2 minutes. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman from california is recognized for 1 1/2 minutes. ms. lofgren: thank you, mr. speaker. the immigration subcommittee which i chair held 17 hearings in 2007 to examine every aspect of immigration reform and one of the most memorable in the series of hearings was the hearing on the plight of undocumented young people who have been brought to the united states as children, including cam tren who tragically later lost her life in an auto accident. they grew up in the united

states, attended american high schools, often knowing no other country as home, no language other than english, yet they were faced with the dead end once they graduated from high school. their immigration status prevented them from working, paying taxes, serving in the military. they could never get right with the law, even though they had done nothing wrong, the only thing they had done was to obey their parents. the dream act would allow these young people to apply for conditional immigration status with a series of conditions and would allow these young people to step forward, register, pay their taxes, get right with the law and contribute to this wonderful country. you know, we hear a lot about the rule of law. i think it's worth remembering that we write the laws in this country. and we need to address this issue. the congressional budget office

tells us that this bill will, if we pass it, will increase revenues by $1.7 billion, a 2.2 -- may i have an additional 10 seconds, mr. chairman? the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman is recognized. ms. lofgren: a $2.2 billion deficit reduction over the next 10 years so we can do the right policy and also have the right fiscal impact by passing this bill. i recommend that we help these innocent children who did nothing wrong. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman's time has expired. the gentleman from michigan reserves. the gentleman from texas is recognized. mr. smith: mr. speaker, i yield three minutes to the gentleman from iowa, mr. king, who is the ranking member of the immigration subcommittee on the judiciary committee. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized for three minutes. mr. king: thank you, mr. speaker. i thank the gentleman from texas for yielding and i rise in opposition to this bill, to this bill that has a nice name but it's really not a dream, it's a nightmare, it's a nightmare to

the rule of law. as the gentlelady from california said we do right the laws in this country. and we have written the laws that limit people from coming in the united states illegally and it seems to be forgotten that under even this legislation that's proposed someone who is one day short of their 16th birthday could sneak across the border into the united states, claim they were here for five years, they could go on a website, i don't know about www.palomacompany.com and get themselves a g.e.d. and qualify for the dream act if they were accepted into a text school. that's kind of the minimum. and it isn't that they are doing this on their 16th birthday, they can do so the day before their 30th birthday, they can lie about their age, the comments about there being biometric information and a background check, we can't do background checks on people that don't have a legal existence in their own country. about half of the people that are born south of the border don't have a birth certificate if they were -- unless they were

born in the hospital, so about 50-50 which means no legal existence, there's not a way to do a background check. the score on this the cost is a lot higher than the proponents would like to admit. they tharg it's a marginal savings. it also says in the same c.b.o. score that in the second decade it's estimated at $5 billion and likely $5 billion for each decade after that. that's probably not a big deal in the context of this spending, mr. speaker, but it is a big deal when you look at the center for immigration studies score, a cost to local government at $6.2 billion, that's every year. at least the first couple of years that they've estimated this. it triples the number of green cards, it provides safe harbor for those who file for a number of things and balls up our courts in our litigation system. there's an exemmingts even for fraud against immigration laws in the united states. so what we really have this is scenario, mr. speaker, this is the moral and ethical conundrum that cannot be reconciled by nin

anybody in this chamber -- by anybody in this chamber or country. when you have the recipients of this dream act if this should become law sitting into a classroom, being the beneficiaries of a de facto scholarship, in california it's free, no tuition for a california resident, next to them in a desk will be a husband or a wife who is grieved having lost their spouse fighting for our liberty in iraq or afghanistan paying out of to younition california, $22,021 a year, paying out of tuition for defending our rule of law, while someone who is being rewarded for breaking it is getting free tuition. that's just california. in iowa it's about a three to one break in state versus out of state. that's what this brings. if you support this nightmare dream act, you're actually supporting an affirmative action amnesty act that rewards people for breaking the law. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman's time has expired. mr. king: i yield back the balance of my time.

the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. the gentleman from texas reserves. the gentleman from michigan is recognized. mr. conyers: thank you, mr. speaker. i yield myself a minute. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. conyers: to explain how the biometric business works to my good friend on the judiciary committee. you see, that's fingerprints and eye scans and the f.b.i. uses it and they're pretty fool proof and the people that you're talking about that go back and come forward, these kids grew up in america. that's where they started, they haven't been anywhere else. you come here as a kid, you can't qualify and so there are records, they went to school, they did something, they live somewhere, so there are records and you don't have to go back to wherever their parents may have come to do it. i'd like to yield to mr. fattah

from pennsylvania for a unanimous consent request. mr. unanimous consent in support of the dream act and ask that i have an opportunity to revise and extend. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. mr. conyers: i yield to the gentleman from illinois, danny davis, for unanimous consent request. mr. davis: i request unanimous consent to revise and extend my remarks in strong support of h.r. 1751, the america dream act. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. mr. conyers: i yield to the distinguished gentlelady from houston, texas, sheila jackson lee, 45 seconds. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady from texas is recognized for 45 seconds. ms. jackson lee: to my friends on the other side of the aisle, these children have not broken the law. these are not criminals, and the only nightmare that i can imagine is a nightmare of violating the rights of these

wonderful children who want an opportunity to serve america. first of off, they have to be in the country for five years already. and they cannot change their status for another 10 years. it could almost be 20 years. and then you have an opportunity to invest in this country after they have received their education equally up to $1 trillion. do we violate our rights and our beliefs about we are all created equal? and so i ask my colleagues to support a dream act that vests in america, that allows individuals to serve america. it is not amnesty. it is people that's wanting to serve this country, pledge allegiance to the flag of the united states of america, stand for what is right, vote for the dream act, believe in our values. we are all created equal. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman yields back. the gentleman from michigan reserves. the gentleman from texas is recognized. mr. smith: i yield two minutes to my friend from virginia, mr.

goodlatte,. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. goodlatte: i thank the gentleman for yielding. i rise in strong opposition to this legislation. i say to my good friend, the chairman of the judiciary committee, this bill has been around for a long time. it's a bad bill. having been around for a long time, for this entire congress for two years, no hearing in the judiciary committee. no hearing in the chairman's committee for the entire two years. now, here we are within a week of adjourning the congress, still no hearing. no opportunity for people to come in and testify before the congress about how this will work, how we will screen out people who will create fraud, how we will deal with the people trying to become citizens. no opportunity to offer amendments. why? no markup was held for two years. and now the indignity of it all

is that here in the closing days of the congress when this bill has been brought forward in this urgent manner, we are not even given the opportunity as a minority is always given to offer a motion to recommit. no opportunity to amend this bill in any way, shape or form as this were perfectly drawn and perfectly brought here and that anybody who was not in the small room where the final version of this totally without the inspection of the american people, totally without the opportunity for anybody to participate, brought here in some perfect manner and now, of course, we are going to pass it without even the opportunity for the minority to offer changes to the bill. the american people have recently demonstrated their strong opposition to amnesty for millions of illegal immigrants.

yet, the dream act offers amnesty for illegal aliens who entered the u.s. before 16 years old. it grants them permanent citizenship and grants them citizenship once they have served two years in college or the military unless the homeland security waives these requirements because of hardship, something that's not defined in the bill. a very, very big loophole. according to the migration policy institute, the dream act could mean mass amnesty for 2.1 million illegal immigrants. fraud will likely drive the number much higher as illegal immigrants discover how easy it is to claim they have arrived in the u.s. before the age of 16. the same thing occurred after the 1986 amnesty bill. the immigration reform and control act was enacted. everyone said that was going to end illegal immigration. it opened the doors to more. this is going to do exactly the same thing. the dream act makes it easy for almost any illegal immigrant. even those who do not qualify

for this amnesty to evade the law. once an alien, no matter who they are, once they file an application, no matter how spurious the government is from deporting that illegal immigration. this is unfair and should be opposed. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman's time has expired. the gentleman from texas reserves. the gentleman from michigan is recognized. mr. conyers: mr. speaker, i'm pleased to recognize the gentlelady from california, maxine waters, distinguished member of the committee, 45 seconds. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman is recognized for 45 seconds. ms. waters: thank you very much. mr. speaker, i rise in support of h.r. 1751. the dream act is a bipartisan targeted legislation that gives students who are already here and have grown up in the united states a chance to contribute to our country's well-being by going in the armed forces or pursuing a higher education. this is good for our economy

and the security of our nation. if you take a look at some of the bill's key provisions, you can see this was well thought through. this was no giveaway. these students have to earn the right to this dream act. and i would simply ask my colleagues to consider, having been brought to this country as a child, and it is something we can do to make sure that we integrate them into our society, they contribute to it in a substantial way. i ask for an aye vote on this important legislation. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman's time has expired. the gentleman from michigan. mr. conyers: mr. speaker, i'm pleased now to turn to the chair of the subcommittee on courts in the house judiciary committee, himself a former magistrate, hank johnson, and i recognize him for one minute and 30 seconds. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized for one minute and 30 seconds. mr. johnson: thank you, mr. speaker.

i'm grateful and proud that my bill, h.r. 5281, the removal clarification act of 2010, is the vehicle through which the dream act comes to the floor today. my bill will enable federal officials to remove cases filed against them to federal court in accordance with the spirit and intent of the federal officer removal statute. and by attaching the dream act to this noncontroversial, bipartisan bill we are able to expedite the process. i'm also proud to support the dream act. this bipartisan legislation addresses the tragedy young undocumented people face when, through no fault of their own, their lack of legal status may prevent them from attending college, joining the military, or working legally in the united states. in my home state of georgia, there are 74,000 undocumented young people who could potentially benefit from passage of the dream act.

last week i spent time helping a potential dreamer beneficiary in my district whose parents brought him from mexico when he was 5 years old. because of current law, he is unable to follow his dreams and attend college. he, along with millions of undocumented youth, deserves an opportunity to stay and help strengthen this nation. i urge my colleagues to support this important legislation. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman's time has expired. the gentleman from michigan reserves. the gentleman from texas is recognized. mr. smith: mr. speaker, i yield two minutes to the gentleman from georgia, mr. graves. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from georgia is recognized for two minutes. mr. graves: thank you, mr. smith from texas. mr. speaker, i rise in opposition to the dream act. when i think back to the early days of our country, the inception, and what we were founded on, it was on freedom, it was on liberty, it was on the opportunity to dream and to achieve a better future for one's self.

that's what's made us great and that's what's made us exceptional as a nation on this globe. make no mistake, this bill is not the american dream. this bill is the amnesty dream. this bill will give amnesty to nearly two million illegal immigrants right away while providing a pathway to amnesty, to encourage millions morill legal immigrants to enter our -- more illegal immigrants to if a person who illegally enters this country will receive amnesty through this bill, you can bet they will petition, because of this bill, to have their relatives to join them. illegal immigrants who have been convicted of less than three misdemeanors are eligible for amnesty through this bill. and lastly, anyone who simply applies for the program will have temporary amnesty. earlier, we heard that this is not about illegal immigrants. this is about undocumented persons. well, it bends the question. if one is undocumented, how could you even verify their age

or eligibility for even this very program? this is no dream. this is a nightmare. this is a nightmare for the taxpayers of our country. this is a nightmare for america itself. besides the fundamental problem of rewarding and incentivizing illegal behavior, this bill worsen our debt and puts a further strain on the american families. simply put, an open door amnesty policy with no spending cap, no limit in scope and a free invitation to all the benefits of this country adds up to a cost that our taxpayers cannot afford. i urge my colleagues to tonight vote for the american dream by rejecting the amnesty dream. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. the gentleman from texas reserves. the gentleman from michigan is recognized. mr. conyers: i recognize the chairman of the education and labor committee, george miller, for unanimous consent question. mr. miller: i thank the gentleman. mr. speaker, i ask unanimous consent to rise in strong support of the dream act.

it's good for our country. it's good for our economy. it's very important to the future contributions of our young people to american society. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. mr. conyers: mr. speaker, i recognize the distinguished gentleman from texas, chet edwards, for one minute. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman will suspend. a member asking to insert remarks may include a simple declaration of sentiment toward the question under debate but should not embellish the request with extended oratory. the gentleman is recognized for one minute. mr. edwards: mr. speaker, my faith and my value teaches me we do not punish children for decisions made by their parents. that's why i rise in support of the dream act. common sense tells me that thousands of decent, hardworking young people enter our country will be better off by bringing them out of the shadows of our society and giving them the opportunity to serve the country which they call home. in a time of hard edge partisan politics, we've grown so course

and callous that we would send people back to the countries that are foreign to them and their upbringing? we should debate how to better secure our borders, but in the meantime in the season of hope and love and joy, let us turn to our better nature and let the youth among us live out their dreams. we will be all the better for it. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. mr. conyers: mr. speaker. i'm pleased to yield to a judiciary committee member, dr. judy chu of california, 45 seconds. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman from california is recognized for 45 seconds. ms. chu: when i first got elected to congress i brought on a bright young man as an intern in my office. he was the student body president of his college. ernesto was so sharp, so hard working, so positive with a deep desire to make america

better and to use his education to make that happen. when he told me he was accepted to ucla, i was so excited. but then he gave me the bad news. he learned he was undocumented. this, after growing up most of his life right here in los angeles. he wasn't eligible for student loans and despite all his efforts he couldn't afford ucla. without the dream act, ernesto can't afford the tuition and might lose his status as a student if he can't find help. ernesto is one reason out of hundreds of thousands across the country as to why we can't wait another day. let's make the dream act a reality. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman yields back. the gentleman from michigan reserves. the gentleman from texas is recognized. mr. smith: mr. speaker, i yield three minutes to the gentleman from california, mr. rohrabacher. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from california is recognized for three minutes. mr. rohrabacher: mr. speaker, i rise in opposition to the affirmative action amnesty act, otherwise known as the dream act, which we are debating. mr. speaker, if an illegal

immigrant to this act passes, if the person happens to be an illegal, ethnic minority that individual assumes legal status will be entitled to all the education, employment, job training, government contract and other minority preferences that are written into our federal and state laws. as a result, the dream act would not only put illegal immigrants on par with american citizens but would in many cases put them ahead of most american citizens and legal immigrants. so those voting for the so-called dream act are voting to relegate the position of nonminority american citizens to behind those who are now in this country illegally. this doesn't just give yong-il legal immigrants in--- young illegal immigrants in-state tuition, but this is a violation to our law-abiding

citizens. i urge my colleagues to oppose this affirmative action amnesty. i urge my colleagues to oppose this horrible example of misplaced loyalties and concerns that will help illegals at the expense of our citizens and legal immigrants. it is not being cold hearted to acknowledge that every dollar spent on illegal immigrant is one dollar that's less spent on our own children, our own senior citizens and for all those who entered this society who played by the rules, who paid their taxes and expect their government to watch out for their needs before it bestows privileges and scarce resources on illegals who have not played by the rules. this legislation not only increases the burden on our hard-pressed government programs and services but will give foreigners who are here illegally prrch over nonminority -- preference over non-u.s. citizens. it doesn't get much worse than

that. we oppose policies like the dream act and we must oppose those policies because they will serve as a magnet for those who would flog here illegally. i ask my colleagues to reject this attempt to rob our children of their dream and to vote no on this divisive and irresponsible legislation which will do nothing more than bring millions of more people across our borders illegally. only now they will bring their kids, all of them. wake up, america. this is no dream. it is an affirmative action amnesty nightmare. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. the gentleman from texas reserves. the gentleman from michigan is recognized. mr. conyers: i yield myself 30 seconds. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. conyers: to remind my dear friend from california, mr. rohrabacher, there's no preference in this bill. they're treated equally, not -- there's not one preference that you can dream of.

mr. rohrabacher: would the chairman yield for a question? mr. conyers: unfortunately i'm -- mr. rohrabacher: is there anything in the bill done -- the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from michigan controls the time. mr. conyers: mr. speaker, i yield to the gentleman from new york, mr. engel. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from new york is recognized. mr. conyers: 30 seconds. the speaker pro tempore: for 30 seconds. mr. engel: thank you, mr. chairman. to my friends on the republican side of the aisle, let me just say, have a little compassion. these children came here, they didn't decide to come here, they know no other country. some of them can't even speak the language of the country in which they were born. and they deserve to have a right as free americans. i'm a grandson of four immigrants from eastern europe. and my grandparents would be proud to see their grandson as a member of the u.s. congress. how many of these other children can flourish and be members of congress or do other things? we do need comprehensive immigration reform in this country. this is not it. so we shouldn't attack it because that's it.

we ought to have a little compassion. the sky is not falling if this becomes law. it will be good for all of us. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman's time has expired. the gentleman from michigan reserves. the gentleman from texas is recognized. mr. smith: mr. speaker, i yield myself 15 seconds. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. smith: mr. speaker, the gentleman who just spoke has a good point. we need to have compassion. but our compassion should be reserved for american workers. we should put the interests of american workers ahead of the interests of illegal immigrants. and, mr. chairman, i'll yield three minutes to the gentleman from georgia, mr. kingston. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from georgia is recognized for three minutes. mr. kingston: i thank the gentleman for yielding and i agree, we have a genuine problem today with kids who were brought here as young children by their parents illegally. in fact, in my area, some of these kids were 3 and 4 years old and they're far more american than georgians culturally than they are whatever native country their parents came from. there's a problem here.

but i got to say, this is not the solution. this is politics. in fact, under the name of this phony compassionate bill, what we're doing is a disservice to these children. this is a lame duck session. the democrats have been in charge of the house and the senate and the white house now for nearly two years. their brand of politics was squarely denounced and rejected five weeks ago and this is one of those things. this is a hairy -- harry reid deal. he promised to do it so now he's doing it. if you really were concerned, if there was real compassion, you know would you not be doing it this hour, switched in between a major -- sand witched between a major bill and a major tax extension in which the democrats themselves have alloweded split decisions about. let's take a look at this from a practical standpoint. how do you prove who was here when they were 16 up to 30? how do you prove that? well, the bill actually says you only have to prove it to the satisfaction of the secretary of homeland security. well, that's a reassuring

thought. the secretary appointed by president obama would certainly never make a political decision. no, justice is blind. just go down the street to the d.o.j. and see their cases. let's be serious about this. you're talking about children. and yet the secretary of homeland security is going to decide if you were here before you were 16. and then what's going to happen to parents of other kids? why would they not start bringing their children in? and say, oh, yeah, no, we've been here who keeps up with the records of illegal aliens? no one does. by design. we all know that. this is a serious problem. i started out my statement saying, i agree there's a problem. this is politics, though. this is not a solution. two million people will probably become citizens under this. i don't think this is the right way to handle it. i would like to work with you guys on this, i'd like to work

with republican members, we all want to. because we know there's a situation out there. but this is politics in the 11th hour, in a lame duck congress and it should be rejected by that alone. with that i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. the gentleman from texas reserves. the gentleman from michigan is recognized. mr. conyers: thank you, mr. speaker. i recognize ms. roybal-allard, distinguished gentlelady from california, for 45 seconds. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady from california is recognized. ms. roybal-allard: mr. speaker, they bear no responsibility for the actions of adults who brought them here illegally as children. raised in the united states, they have the same american values and love of our country as children born here. sadly because of theas actions of others they live in the fear of deportation from the only home they know. the dream act which is not amnesty will help correct this unfairness. with stringent criteria to qualify for legal status and a 10-year requirement toward

earned citizenship, the bill would remove impediments so our country can benefit from their talents and enhanced contributions from our country. in fact, the recent ucla study found dream eligible students have a potential to earn $1.4 trillion in additional income that could help fuel our country's economic growth over the next four decades. mr. speaker, we are a country that values children, not one that punishes them for the wrongdoing of their elders yet that is exactly what's happening to these children today. i urge my colleagues to support the dream act. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman yields back the balance of her time. the gentleman from michigan reserves. the gentleman from texas is recognized. mr. smith: mr. speaker, may i ask how much time remains on each side? the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from texas controls 10 minutes. the gentleman from michigan controls 15 minutes. mr. smith: mr. speaker, i'll reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves. the gentleman from michigan is recognized. mr. conyers: i'm delighted to recognize sam farr of california for one minute. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from california is

recognized for one minute. mr. farr: thank you very much, mr. speaker, and i'm very proud to rise before you as a former peace corps volunteer, both the speaker and myself, who knows something about living in another country. look, we're in the chamber of the house of representatives. we've been here every day, we have these debates. surrounding us every day we look at these law givers. 23 people, all men, only two were american citizens. all the rest, we worship them. because they had great minds. most of them lived before the united states was even created. those minds are in the children in america and you're calling them illegal? is that what you'd call bright children of your own? do you want to raise people in that kind of climate?

these kids have done nothing wrong. all they want is to fill that dream, that dream, with all kinds of restrictions that are in this bill, this ain't easy. my god. give those children, your children, our children that dream. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman's time has expired. the gentleman from michigan reserves. the gentleman from texas is recognized. mr. smith: mr. speaker, i'll reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves. the gentleman from michigan is recognized. mr. conyers: the gentlewoman from florida, ms. castor, is recognized for one minute. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman from florida is recognized for one minute. ms. castor: i thank the chair. mr. speaker, i rise today in support of the dream act and the thousands of florida students who will benefit when we pass the dream act.

not just the students but the families and businesses all across the state of florida and our great country. our country is built upon a foundation of equality, liberty and opportunity. these values apply to all. except for a small group of young people who through no fault of their own have been stuck in limbo and face obstacles to education and productivity. the dream act will breathe new life into their hopes and dreams and the economies of our local communities. it will breathe hope and life into the lives of these young students, these young people who only know america as their home, they want to attain a higher education and they want to serve in the armed forces. i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman yields back the balance of her time. the gentleman from michigan reserves.

the gentleman from texas is recognized. mr. smith: mr. speaker, i'll reserve my time as well. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves. the gentleman from michigan is recognized. mr. conyers: i recognize carolyn maloney of new york for a unanimous consent request. the speaker pro tempore: i rise in strong support of the dream act and urge all of my colleagues to vote for this important bill and request permission to revise and extend my remarks in support of this important bill. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. mr. conyers: mr. speaker, i recognize the distinguished gentleman from new york, jose serrano, for 30 seconds. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from new york is recognized for 30 seconds. mr. serrano: i thank the gentleman. we call it a dream but it's a reality. it's young people who are here, who want to continue to be part of the american dream. it's people, as mr. engel said, who know no other country. this is the country they know. this is the country they love. this is the country they're in. this is the country they want to help grow. we talk so much about the future

of our country, the future of our country is in our youth. our youth who want this dream to become a reality. vote for the dream act. it is the proper american behavior at this time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. the gentleman from michigan reserves. the gentleman from texas is recognized. mr. smith: mr. speaker, i'll reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves. the gentleman from michigan is recognized. mr. conyers: i recognize the gentleman from california, mr. baca, for 30 seconds. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from california is recognized for 30 seconds. mr. baca: mr. speaker, i stand in strong support for h.r. 5281, the american dream act. a bipartisan bill. the america is a land of opportunity and these students want to abide by the law and that's why this bill is before us. it is wrong to unfairly punish young people who come to america through no fault of their own, wanting in education, an

opportunity like the fellow students. if we pass this bill, we have an opportunity to straighten our nation -- strengthen our nation and respect our strong proud immigration history like ronald reagan and others who did this in the past. equal opportunity is just as in opportunities, the same values of civil rights leaders like martin luther king and president johnson fought for. i yield back the balance of my time and ask for support. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. the gentleman from michigan reserves. the gentleman from texas is recognized. mr. smith: i continue to reserve my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves. the gentleman from michigan. mr. conyers: mr. speaker, i'm pleased to recognize the distinguished gentleman from the ways and means committee, the honorable charles rangel, for 30 seconds. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from new york is recognized for 30 seconds. mr. rangel: thank you, mr. chairman. i ask unanimous consent to revise and extend my remarks. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. mr. rangel: thank god that the native americans didn't have these immigration laws when they were discovered, you know, by other people.

but having said that and forgetting the idea of compassion, i'm reminded that in 1950, when the outfit was surrounded by chinese and lieutenant colonel joseph bines called up and he says, we need replacements or we got to get out of here. and they told him that we didn't have any colored replacements and even though president truman in 1948 had outlawed discrimination, still it was that way. the lieutenant says, i don't care what color they are. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman's time has expired. mr. conyers: i give the gentleman an additional 30 seconds. mr. rangel: he says, i don't care what color they are, you send someone up here to defend this country or we're pulling out of here. and that's where we find ourselves today. at a time when we're looking for scientists and researchers and teachers and people to allow this country to maintain its greatness, we find people that were raised in the united states, absolute the flag, the pledge of allegiance, the star

spangeled banner, the boy scouts, and these for all practicalcal purposes have been -- we've invested in them. now they want to pay back by becoming professionals. this is time for us not to retreat but move forward and support the dream act. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman's time has expired. the gentleman from michigan reserves. the chair will receive a message. the messenger: mr. speaker, a message from the senate. the secretary: mr. speaker. the speaker pro tempore: ms. secretary. the secretary: i have been directed by the senate to inform the house that the senate has passed s. 3036, cited as the national zionist project act in which the concurrence of the house is requested. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from texas is recognized. mr. smith: i yield two minutes to the gentleman from illinois, mr. johnson. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from illinois is recognized for two minutes. mr. johnson: thank you, mr. incoming chairman. as we stand here this evening and debate this terribly misnamed bill, the american

people face not a dream but a host of unmistakable realities. double-digit unemployment, a social service delivery system, most particularly social security, that is terribly broken, their children and their grandchildren who simply cannot afford to go to school, a national debt of over $14 trillion and growing by the hour which really jeopardizes our collective future and a nation, mr. speaker and members of the house, where too often the rule of law yields the self term expediency. i respectfully have to comment and respond to a number of comments that were made on the other side of the aisle, not the least of which is the attempt to portray these individuals as somehow innocence and those who would be free of any law breaking. in fact, the bill doesn't deal with that. only deals with it indirectly. secondly, we have the clear reality that people can be 15, 15 1/2 years old and break the

law, come over here and boot strap their families into citizenship which deals wall of the realities that couple and aggravate on top of that. the reality is it's a very bad piece of public policy. i think it's well intended. i respect the sponsors, as i said in my comments on the rule, but at the end of the day this is a bill that america cannot afford of, and i strongly urge my colleagues, both republican and democrat, to vote no and send a message to the american people that we still pay and uphold the rule of law. i urge a strong no vote. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. the gentleman from texas reserves. the gentleman from michigan is recognized. mr. conyers: mr. speaker, i yield chairwoman lydia velazquez for unanimous consent revise and extend. ms. velazquez: thank you. mr. speaker, i rise in strong support of the dream act because of young people from

new york city so they can fully contribute to america, the country they call home. i ask unanimous consent to enter inside full statement in the record. the speaker pro tempore: the chair would remind managers if chair engages in debate, time consumed will be charged. the gentleman from michigan. mr. conyers: mr. speaker, i yield the gentlelady from maryland, donna edwards, for 30 seconds. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady from maryland is recognized for 30 seconds. ms. edwards: mr. speaker, i rise in support of the dream act and on many people in my district like a 17-year-old, an honor student, a graduate. he came to this country from india when he was 14 months old, a toddler. he loves this country. he is all-american. he plays music and plays basketball. let's let him contribute to

this, his country. he wrote the u.s. is different than any other country in the world because the government is able to listen to its people when they are wrong. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman yields back. the gentleman from michigan reserves. the gentleman from texas is recognized. mr. smith: mr. speaker, i yield one minute to the gentleman from utah, mr. chaffetz, who is a member of the judiciary committee. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from utah is recognized for one minute. mr. chaffetz: i rise in opposition to this bill. this bill a number nesty. we should not be reward -- this bill is amnesty. we should not be rewarding illegals. we should be prioritizing. we should be prioritizing millions of people that are not trying to break the law. they are trying to do it lawfully, sometimes waiting 20 years to go through the process. we should fix legal immigration. and i have the greatest respect for the leadership within the committee. i need to say that in the 23 months that i served on the subcommittee on immigration, it is an embarrassment that we met 12 times and never discussed this.

never. never did we have a substantive hearing or discussion on this bill. yet, under martial rule we bring it to the floor with a very short time span in the middle of the night here and try to slam this through. that is fundamentally wrong to the process. when the process is flawed it yields bad results. i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from texas reserves. the gentleman from michigan is recognized. mr. conyers: i'm going to recognize the civil rights hero of the congress, john lewis, 30 seconds. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized for 30 seconds. mr. conyers: 45 seconds. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized for 45 seconds. mr. lewis: mr. speaker, the dream act, this is a bill we should have passed a long time ago. the american dream, isn't that why we are all here, why we work, sacrifice for these

united states of america? these young people uprooted from their homes and brought to this country as children. some of them so young this is the only home they have ever known. they have obeyed our laws, become excellent students, sacrificed blood and tears for our country just as any good american would do. mr. speaker, the time is always right to do what is right. i urge my colleagues to pass this bill and pass it now. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. the gentleman from michigan reserves. the gentleman from texas is recognized. mr. smith: mr. speaker, i'll continue to reserve the balance of my time until the time on both sides is roughly equal. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves. the gentleman from michigan is recognized. mr. conyers: mr. speaker, i'm pleased now to recognize the one and only majority leader of

the house, steny hoyer of maryland. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from maryland is recognized. for one minute. mr. hoyer: i thank the gentleman for yielding his one minute. i am about to lose my magic one minute. i'll lament that fact. but it is the fact. but i have not lost it yet, and i am going to use that minute to speak for children who didn't break the law, who had no concept of violating the laws. their parents brought them here like millions of other children who now live in america and parents who live in america. they were irish, they were polish, they were german, they were asians, they were south americans, they were africans. the parents brought them to this country and they grew up in this country and they thought to themselves, i'm proud to be an american.

and i'm sure they sing lee greenwood "i'm proud to stand up next to you." they may stand up to you every day. we may not know who they are but they go to school, they serve in our armed forces, they participate, they pay taxes. some of them are far too young to do that. some of them know no country except the united states of america and they feel blessed. mr. speaker, i understand immigration is an issue that divides many of us in this house. it's an issue that arouses passion, but the test of governing responsibly is whether even in the face of those divisions we can come together to make progress on the basis of principle that ought to be universal.

i said to my caucus tonight that i've been chairman of the commission on security and cooperation in europe for 10 years and served on that commission for almost 20. that commission, as some of you know, is charged with overseeing the implementation of the helsinki final act. of course signed by president ford in the summer of 1975. what that act tried to accomplish was a universal understanding of human rights and how nations treated their own citizens and how we would look to those nations and not say it's simply their business, because if they abuse their citizens, it was felt after world war ii that they might soon abuse other citizens. not in their borders.

and so we said we are our brothers' keeper. we do need to make sure that people throughout this world are treated equally. i have traveled to many countries behind the iron curtain over and over and over with my good friend, frank wolf and others. mr. smith from new jersey, in particular. and we went to those countries and said, treat people fairly. and as i was thinking about this debate as it was impending, i thought to myself, what if some other children had taken children who had grown up, gone to the military, gone to college, were kicking them out of the country because their parents came from another land, and, yes, those parents broke the law and this is not about excusing breaking the law. these children are not culpable.

these young people came here because, as all of us went anywhere -- now, i'm in maryland. why am i a maryland citizen? i'm a maryland citizen because my stepfather was in the united states air force, and the united states air force transferred him to andrews air force base. and so we moved to maryland. not because i chose to move to maryland, but because my stepfather and mother moved to maryland and they brought me with them. that's who we're talking about. that's who we're talking about. one of those principles is, i believe, that individuals who came to this country as undocumented miners and have lived their lives -- minors and have lived their lives in america should not suffer because of the actions over which they had no control that brought them to the united states. we all universally adopt that

principle. no one holds children culpable for the wrongdoing of their parents unless somehow those children are involved themselves in the perpetration of wrongdoing. so this principle is well-known to all of us and ought to be followed. that is the idea behind this legislation. we talk about the american dream. we have a statute in the harbor in new york -- statue in the harbor in new york. she has a light that she lifts to all the world. and we say, -- the refuges your teaming shore, send these the homeless, tempest, toss to me, and america says to the world, i lift my lamp beside the golden door. we are the keepers of the

golden door. when the ambassador from ireland, and we had many irish among us, came and spoke, one of the things he said was deal with this issue. deal with it because there are irish among us who perhaps came because their parents saw opportunity at a time of great strife in their land and came to america. my father came at the age of 32 in 1934 from denmark to seek opportunity in this country. there are so many of us among this group of 435 who could give similar stories. our parents came here to seek opportunity. some came and our grandparents came when there was no

significant control on their coming here. as immigration has grown we had to rightfully make restrictions. and i am one who believes that we need to know who comes into the united states. our choice tonight is between allowing those young people to live their lives in the shadows of america or ensuring that those who want to serve our country and contribute to our economy can stay in the country that is their home. they perceive it to be their home. they were children in school, in our neighborhoods, in our boys and girls clubs who played on our athletic fields and think of themselves as americans. . americans. to those young people who have been in our country for five