else is doing it. everyone else is recycling. 95 percent side of your neighbors are recycling. that is the most effective way to get people to do that. the government is expected bridge experimented with this idea to say that about back taxes. 80% of britain's are paid back taxes, and so should you. that is something that is being experimented with right now. they are still seeing how it works. host: drake bennett is with "bloomberg businessweek". thank you for joining us from new york. the house of representatives is now in session. the chair lays before the house a communication from the speaker. the clerk: the speaker's room, washington, d.c., december 7, 2011. i hereby appoint the honorable robert e. latta to act as speaker pro tempore on this day. signed, john a. boehner, speaker of the house of representatives.

the speaker pro tempore: pursuant to the order of the house of january 5, 2011, the chair will now recognize members from lists submitted by the majority and minority leaders for morning hour debate. the chair will alternate recognition between the parties with each party limited to one hour and each member other than the majority and minority leaders and the minority whip limited to five minutes each but in no event shall debate continue beyond 11:50 a.m. the chair recognizes the gentleman from illinois, mr. gutierrez, for five minutes. mr. gutierrez: thank you, mr. speaker. today i'm sending a letter to colonel patano in jacksonville, florida. the permitting process for the construction of a massive gas pipeline that will cross the mountains in puerto rico. the 92-mile gas pipeline, which does not make any sense environmentally, economically orthcally, is moving forward in part because the colonel's

office issued a draft environmental assessment that clearly favors the eventually issuance of the permit. i would like to read an excerpt from my letter. i was intensely angered but not sadly but not entirely surprised when i read the report issued by your office regarding the pipeline in puerto rico. from the start, people from puerto rico are telling me they suspect all of the regulatory oversight is nothing more than show and this process has been assured of passage because insider cozy relationships between the army corps jacksonville staff and the very industry they are supposed to be overseeing and regulating. further, having sunk millions of dollars in this project already, the ruling party in puerto rico's very accountability is at stake on this massive construction project moving forward. the draft environmental assessment is so slanted and flawed that it adds more evidence of the growing view that there is no meaningful oversight of this project by

the federal government and no meaningful input from the residents of puerto rico. i believe your decision, colonel pantano shows a complete disregard of compelling evidence demonstrating little need for this project. it shows little regard to the other agencies that looked at the project. it has potential safety hazards to the people of puerto rico. this woefully slanted decision also gives credence to the suggestion of impropriety of matters relating to this project and i believe this process should begin again in an open and transparent manner that the process that led to this decision should be fully investigated and further efforts should be supervised by new leadership. i ask that the inspector general investigate this immediately into the relationship between the government of puerto rico, the army corps of engineer's jacksonville office. lobbyists who used to work for the army corps of engineers

should not be allowed to line their pockets at the expense of the safety of the people of puerto rico. your boss, president obama, stated the cozy relationship between the regulators and the industry they regulate must come to an end. i strongly support the president and agree with him completely. however, my misgivings about the pipeline project must plies substantially when the -- multiplies substantially when it was in puerto rico and transferred to the jacksonville office in florida. there is clearly a cozy relationship between the current jacksonville staff that you supervise and the former jacksonville staff who now supervises and works for the private company consulted by and hired by the government of puerto rico to lobby and provide technical assistance for the project. the result, the army corps of engineers appears to have adopted all the power companies ' argument for moving forward. what a surprise.

these include ignoring the advice of other federal agencies who do not seem to have any cozy connections and relationships to the moneyed interest behind the pipeline, including the fish and wildlife ignored, and finally i point out it is an insult to the people of puerto rico to have released the army corps' report in the manner it was released. the report is exclusively in english whereas the common language in puerto rico is spanish. and english is a language that hundreds of thousands of puerto ricans whose lives will be directly affected by the pipeline do not speak and cannot read. how are they supposed to give advice and consent? it is also personally insulting that the 30-day comment period occurred during the holiday season when the residents of puerto rico are especially focused on their family and interestingly enough congress will be in recess. the people of puerto rico,

including those who live humbly in the mountains and those who have derived their livelihoods from the land deserve the government that protects their interest. they need to know when their safety and way of life is threatened, that the government will protect them. this case reveals the opposite. it reveals a government agency that ignores the warnings of other government agencies and a wealth of facts regarding safety, concerns and environmental impact. it reveals a government agency that responds more to well-connected lobbyists than advocates to the people of puerto rico. it reveals a government agency that is doing nothing, that doing the job that it was mandated to do. mr. speaker, i ask that he can that this petition on behalf of many individuals, environmental groups from the legal assistant clinic at the law school of the university of puerto rico to have the environmental assessment translated into english be submitted officially into the record. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman's time has expired. the chair recognizes the

gentleman from louisiana, mr. boustany, for five minutes. ms. hanabusa: -- mr. -- mr. boustany: thank you, mr. speaker. mr. speaker, u.s. attorney general eric holder must resign immediately. after months of evading tough questions and giving unclear answers about operation fast and furious, it now appears justice department's top official has contradicted his own testimony given before congress. under operation fast and furious, the bureau of tobacco, alcohol and firearms allowed straw purchasers to buy at least 1,400 weapons despite the fact it knew that these weapons would likely end up in the hands of violent mexican drug cartels. the a.t.f. lost track of the guns after they were sold to criminals. since then many have been used in crimes across both sides of the border, including a border

patrol agent in arizona and an embassy officer in mexico city. why did the attorney general allow for a transfer of guns across the border without working in conjunction with mexican authorities? when he knew the a.t.f. was unable to trace them? that's a very important question that must be answered. this botched program should never have been authorized in the first place. attorney general holder should resign over his failure and his evasive and contradictory testimony to the united states congress. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. the chair recognizes the gentleman from california, mr. miller, for five minutes. mr. miller: i ask unanimous consent to revise and extend my remarks. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. mr. miller: mr. speaker, members of the house, later today the house will consider the reins act which is legislation to design to make sure that in a republican

controlled congress no new regulations would be put into effect whether they deal with clean drinking water, clean air, child safety, the safety of children when they play with their toys, the drugs that so many citizens need to take to maintain their health, occupational safety at the workplace, all of that would be destroyed under the reins act. you might ask yourself, well, what would society look like? well, we have a preview of what that society would look like yesterday when the main safety board released the upper big branch mine. it was 29 dead coal miners because the massey corporation was basically allowed to by their board of director evade the basic regulations that were in place to protect the miners. although the miners don't have protection of whistleblower, so we saw that massey was able to

intimidate the workers every day not to report safety violations, not to write up safety violations, not to report things that needed to be prepared because the chairman of the board told them the priority was the production of coal, not the safety of the workers. produce the coal or get out is what he told them. so they were not able to participate in their own safety when they saw a violation and they saw a problem that could cause danger in the mine. they also were able to circumvent the right of the mine safety inspections and the mines because they gave advanced warnings. they were told that the federal mine inspector comes on to the property, you must give advance warning to the people in the mine so they can divert the mine inspector away from the problems in the mine, take up their time while we can fix them or he'll run out of time to inspect the mine. this regulation is against that. there's laws against that. they voided those. then they kept two sets of books so that the mine

regulators couldn't see the real level of violations in the mines. that's what it looks like when you don't have regulations. that's what it looks like when you don't have enforcement. and it's the conclusion of the mine safety report that mirrors one that was done by the state government. the conclusion is the tragic death of 29 miners and serious injuries of two others in upper big branch mine were entirely preventable, entirely preventable. had regulations been enforced in that mine, had this company not been allowed to go rogue and ignore the regulations that are there to protect the miners' lives. we must now understand what that means to the american public, what it means to this family. what could have been contained, what could have been contained as a miner -- minor coal dust explosion or a localized methane gas explosion became an explosion that traveled 2,000 feet per second.

2,000 feet per second. there's no miner that could get out of the way of that act. and what happens when you don't have to put up with fines, when you can clog the courts with appeals, when the massey company was sold, the board of directors allowed this to happen. the executive officers that directed this to happen, the officers walked away with $90 million in bonuses. the board of directors walked away with $19 million in bonuses. and don blankenship that wrote the memo that said its production of coal or get out, it's not safety, walked away with $86 million. and now, get this, don blankenship, the c.e.o., wants to go back in the coal business after killing 29 miners and whether it's the state of virginia or state of west virginia or kentucky or anywhere else, the suggestion is that they might be able to give him a permit to open up a mine. 29 miners are dead.

violations of the law. a criminal corporate culture and somebody else says they might be able to go back in the mine. you will not reignite the american dream for workers in this country if you take away their right to work. you will not reignite the american dream for the middle class if they have no rights at work, if they're subjected to this. for these families that lost 29 members of their family, they're crushed, they're crushed. but you can't do that by eliminating the regulations. it's the regulations in place that have saved miners' lives, but it's the avoidance of the regulations, the ignoring of the regulations and it's for this congress to have tough sanctions. when you obstruct the safety investigation, it's a felony. somebody should go to jail. when you obstruct the right of a worker to blow the whistle on an unsafe procedure, there's got to be a strict fine for that. that's how we reignite the american dream. we got a lot of work to do in this congress, but you can't do

it by stopping all regulations that protect our families, that protect our communities, that protect the workers in america today. the speaker pro tempore: the chair recognizes the gentleman from texas, mr. poe, for five minutes. mr. poe: mr. speaker, the sun was lazyly rising on the -- lazily rising on the horizon. it was on a sunday morning. it was quiet, peaceful, calm. people felt secure. there was a small tropical breeze as the american flag was being raised on a nearby flagpole. it was this day that luke trejan, a sailor from southeast texas, noticed large formations of aircraft darkening the glistening sky. he kept watching in awe until suddenly the aircraft broke formation, dove from the sky and unleashed a fury of deadly devastating bombs and torpedos

on a place called pearl harbor in the pacific. it was this day 70 years ago this morning when luke and his fellow sailors, soldiers and marines saw war unleashed upon america. it was december 7, 1941. the japanese had caught america by surprise and took advantage of an unprepared nation, and after the smoke cleared on that morning of madness, 98 neifi planes and 64 -- navy planes and 64 army aircraft went. they lost all but three of its aircraft. 2,471 americans, servicemen and civilians were killed by this unwarranted invasion of terror from the skies. the pride of the united states navy, the battleships, west virginia, california, oklahoma, tennessee, utah, maryland, nevada and arizona were trapped

in the harbor. they made easy targets for the japanese pilots. the sailors onboard these battle wagons fought with the courage of an entire legion of warriors when they were attacked by a skillful, tyrannical enemy. all -- all of these fierce u.s. navy battleships were sunk or damaged. . their guns are now silent. the home of the u.s.s. arizona became the sacred graveyard and the peaceful pacific for more than 1,177 american sailors and marines. i have seen, mr. speaker, the oil that still seeps to the surface from the hull of the battleship, arizona. luke and his native buddies in patrol wing one quickly got organized, prepared, and waited for two days for the expected land invasion by the japanese. it never game. -- came. but america was at war. it was world war ii and the war was long.

it spread from the pacific to europe to africa to the middle east to asia. the japanese, then the nazis seemed undefeatable. even the japanese were concerned about the spirit of america. the japanese commander at pearl harbor invasion remarked that japan and what it had done was wake a sleeping giant. world war ii was hard. millions served in uniform overseas. millions served on the home front. all sacrifice for the cause of america. the nation woke from a somber sleep of newtality and with our allies defeated the tyrants that would rule the world. that was a time when americans put aside all differences and united to defend freedom and our nation. mr. speaker, i'm always intrigued by the stories of those war heroes and the folks of that generation. there isn't one of them that cannot recall the exact moment and place they were when they heard the news of pearl harbor. both of my parents barely teenagers at the time still talk about what they were doing when they heard on the radio that

broadcast that sunday morning about the invasion. until september 11, this was the deadliest attack on american soil. december 7, 1941, a date that will live in infamy. those were the words of president franklin roosevelt that became forever embedded in the minds of patriots across our land, igniting and launching a nation into the fiery trenches of battle throughout the world. those of that greatest generation proved that when freedom of this nation is threatened, our people will stand and fight. they'll bring the thunder of god upon our enemies. defending freedom and liberty was the battle cry of the sailors, marines, and soldiers that died 70 years ago at pearl harbor. we remember december 7, 1941, and the americans who stood tall and kept the flame of america burning brightly. they were a remarkable bunch of people. they were the americans. my friend, petty officer luke

trayhan, stayed in the united states navy 38 years either on active or reserve status. he wore his uniform every memorial day, every veterans day, and spent a lot of time speaking proudly about this country. he died four years ago on december 5, 2007. he was 89 years of age. and that's just the way it is. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. the chair recognizes the gentlelady from ohio, ms. fudge, for five minutes. without objection. ms. fudge: thank you, mr. speaker. mr. speaker, i rise to address the urgent need to extend unemployment insurance for struggling americans. 45% of all unemployed workers, more than six million people, have been out of work for more than six months. karen from cleveland was laid off in march. she was laid off from a law firm due to budget constraints.

she is 62 years old. and unable to find a job in this economy. unemployment insurance is helping her to get by with just the basic necessities. it is allowing her to pay for expensive but necessary prescriptions. she is actively looking for work, but she's afraid that if her unemployment benefits are cut, she will lose her house. karen's state unemployment benefits can run out at the end of december. if congress fails to act to renew the federal unemployment insurance program, she'll become just another statistic. one of the millions of americans who identify themselves with the 99%. karen along with six million americans will be cut off from emergency lifeline saving resources unless congress acts. sandra of cleveland heights lost her job in april, 2011. it's her third layoff. she is 59 years old.

she never thought she would find herself in this position at this age. rather than defaulting on her mortgage, she has used up all of her retirement savings. now she is deeper into debt. when her unemployment funds run out, it's likely she will default. and being an older worker it makes it even harder. we see the scenario all too often across this nation, hardworking americans getting laid off, using up their savings, and then losing their homes. we seen foreclosure rates soar and americans are falling behind on their mortgage payments at a rapid rate. in my district more than 13% of homeowners are 90 or more days behind in their mortgage. in 2010 unemployment benefits kept three million americans, including nearly one million children, from falling into poverty. extending unemployment insurance could prevent the loss of over 500,000 jobs according to the economic policy institute.

500,000 jobs. you know why? because u.i. payments go directly into the economy. they support local businesses, they help create jobs, and reduce the demand for public services. if we don't extend unemployment insurance, it would be the equivalent of pulling nearly $90 billion out of the economy in 2012. there is one more story i'd like to tell you. it's from molly in toledo. i tell molly's story because it embodies the frustration felt by thousands upon thousands of americans across this country. molly has battled unemployment since october, 2008. she wonders how the rich and powerful expect people like her to survive without good-paying jobs. are we just supposed to die, she asks? commit suicide? starve to death while we are homeless and on the streets? she says the deck really seems to be stacked against ordinary americans. no one with any real power seems to care. except warren buffett.

i'm trying to find a good job, she says, or any job for that matter. we, the unemployed, are demonized by the right and discriminated against for being out of work. we are too old or overqualified or underqualified or the wrong color. what has happened to my country, she asked? these are the stories of everyday americans who are struggling to get by. this is not about democrats and republicans. this is about coming together to help millions of unemployed americans get through the worst economic recession since the great depression. it's about helping our economy grow and about creating jobs. americans are frustrated with the decline of the middle class and the lack of good-paying jobs. but these honorable citizens haven't given up and neither can we. we must act now. we must extend unemployment insurance. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady yields back. the chair recognizes the gentleman from north carolina, mr. jones, for five minutes.

mr. jones: thank you very much. when we were home over the thanksgiving break, like all my colleagues i did the most i could to be with the people of the third district of north carolina. it's the home of camp lejeune marine base, and others, and over 60,000 retired veterans in the third district. since coming back to washington, i have done two town meetings by phone. what i heard while i was home during thanksgiving and the two town meetings, why are we still in afghanistan? when i hear my colleagues of both parties talk about the problems facing the american people, unemployment benefits, extending the tax cuts for the middle class americans, and both parties, how are we going to pay for it? there is a man in afghanistan that is is crook and corrupt. who gets $10 billion a month and he doesn't have to worry about it.

the poor americans are out here doing the best they can in a very difficult economy. and we can't help them but we can help a corrupt leader in afghanistan? it makes no sense. i hope that this congress will come together and say to the president, let's not wait until 2014. how many more american boys and girls will have to die and give their legs in the next three years for a corrupt leader? i have asked the department of defense and i wrote secretary panetta and asked him that question. give me your projections of how many more young men and women will have to die and lose their legs? i hope that i get that response soon. that brings me to the point of a young marine i saw at walter reed/bethesda about three weeks ago. there were four marines from the third district of north carolina

, three had lost both legs, and the one that had lost only one leg, a corporal, mom's sitting in the room, said to me, sir, may i ask you a question? i said, certainly, you may. why are we still in afghanistan? and i looked at him and i said, i don't know why we are still there. mr. speaker, it makes no sense. the american people and the people of the third district of north carolina are saying we have won. bin laden is dead. al qaeda has been dispersed all over the world. mr. speaker, it is time as we debate these very difficult complex issues for our nation that we get smart with our foreign policy, and smart means

let's don't try to police the world. history has proven you will never change afghanistan. it will never change no matter what we do or any other country tries to do. so, mr. speaker, beside me is a poster with a flag draped coffin coming offer the plane at dover and with humility i tell you today, mr. speaker, i signed over 10,400 letters to families and extended families who lost loved ones in afghanistan and iraq. i thank god he has allowed me to have a heart large enough to fill the -- feel the pain of war because i have never been to war. but when i sign those letters, i feel the pain of the families. i lick every envelope that i send. mr. speaker, with that i want to close my comments by asking god to please bless our men and women in uniform.

god to please bless the families who lost loved ones fighting in afghanistan and iraq. god, please bless the house and senate that we will do what's right for the american people. bless mr. obama he will do what's right for the american people. and three times i will say, god please, god please, god please continue to bless america. thank you. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. the chair recognizes the gentleman from minnesota, mr. ellison, for five minutes. mr. ellison: mr. speaker, before i begin my remarks i want to publicly associate myself with everything walter jones just said. he is absolutely right. mr. speaker, this holiday season congress has a chance, couple of chances right in front of them to do what's right for the american people and to side with the overwhelming percentage of americans suffering out there in this economy. for an entire year the majority

in the house has not offered a single bill to create a single job. in fact, the only thing that the congress has been doing is creating an environment where public sector jobs are cut and where private sector jobs, though they have been growing, are offset by those public sector cuts. leaving us with an unemployment rate which we are happy to have at 8.6%, but within the historical context it's still a national disgrace and outrage to have unemployment at 8.6% for so very long. but we are happy to have it because it has been as high as 10%. now we are threatening to leave more than two million americans, including 13,000 in my home state of minnesota, out in the cold during the holiday season. by taking away their unemployment insurance. right now 14 million people are unemployed. and companies really aren't

hiring. for most of these people unemployment insurance is the only thing that's keeping them in their homes and not out on the street. according to the census bureau, unemployment insurance has pulled 3.2 million americans out of poverty last year and that's why congress needs to make sure that all americans, mr. speaker, continue to have this vital lifeline available. any credible economist will tell you that unemployment insurance creates jobs. . every dollar invested in unemployment insurance yields a return of $1.52 in economic growth. at least 200,000 jobs would be lost if congress fails to pass the extension of unemployment insurance benefits. . congress must not leave washington for the holidays without extending unemployment benefits that create jobs and put money into the pockets and on the tables of millions of

americans. both democrat and republican politicians, we together have not passed a jobs bills. while the republican are in the majority and i believe bear the weight of the responsibility, i believe every member of congress should call for unemployment benefits and jobs at this time. we shouldn't be leaving hardworking americans high and dry this holiday season. this holiday season we can spur economic growth, create jobs and strengthen the middle class by strengthening unemployment benefits. on behalf of the good people who play by the rules and lost their jobs because of wall street greed and while this majority looked the other way, i urge all of my colleagues to support the extension of unemployment insurance benefits. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. the chair recognizes the gentleman from illinois, mr. kinzinger, for five minutes.

mr. kinzinger: i thank you, mr. speaker. there's been a lot of talk lately about afghanistan. you hear it every day. you heard it just a little bit ago about why are we in afghanistan, what are we fighting for, isn't it time to go home. and i got to tell you the easy thing to do is to stand up and say, let's just declare victory and let's leave and then whatever happens after we're gone, it's not our fault any more, it's not our problem. that's the easy thing to do. you know, the america i grew up and continue to grow up and live in is not the country that always picks the easy thing. the thing about the american d.n.a. as i believe we do typically the right thing. now, let me tell you i'm still a pilot in the military. i still fly for the air national guard and have had the privilege and honor of serving overseas with my fellow men and women in uniform.

although most of my experience was in iraq, i remember in iraq a time when members of this house stood up and said that the war in iraq is lost, that there's no way to win and it's time to just come home. and we see the day that now the american troops are coming home from iraq but under a condition of victory. while i have concerns about that timetable for withdrawal, i think anybody would agree that that's better than had we just in 2006 and 2007 folded up and taken the easy way. so let me ask my fellow members of congress and let me ask the american people, what is it that we're fighting for in afghanistan? and i have here a very disturbing but a very appropriate picture of what it is we are fighting for. the young girl you see on the top, her name is bebe. bebe is 17 years old. when bebe was 12 years old, she was sold to somebody basically

as a slave as a result of a member of her family committing a crime and selling her as rep rations for that crime -- repperations for that crime. for five years she was beaten by her husband until one day she decided to run away to seek freedom. well, she was caught. her husband caught her. drug her back to his house and the taliban as a way to enact justice forced him with his brother holding her down forced him to cut off her nose and to cut off her ears. she then proceeded to basically crawl to her uncle's house and her uncle ignored her. and somebody finally called the hospital and they said, go to an american forward operating base. they'll take care of you. you hear those that took care of her talking about how she showed up and about the fright she had in her eyes.

i took a trip to afghanistan recently and saw a village where a man was standing on -- by with an ak-47. i talked to him through a translator and he informed me not two days ago his daughter fell into a well and drown. but yet he still believes that his village needs protecting and he could be sitting at home mourning the loss of his daughter and i'm sure he mourn the loss but he was standing out defending his village because he wants what americans what, what anybody around the world wants. they want security. they want to be able to raise their family. bebe just wants to live her life without beaten and sold to slavery. today, because of the american presence in afghanistan and those of our coalition partners, you see the picture at the bottom of this, the best part of this picture and that is girls in school learning to read and write.

learning that there's a world out there, learning that despite where they were raised and born they, too, can have some of the freedoms, some of the privileges that folks in the rest of the world and especially in the united states have. so let me say this -- it is so easy to stand up and say this is not worth it, but i'm going to tell you the second verse of the "star spangled banner" has a line, o conquer we must when our cause is just. ladies and gentlemen, what we're doing in afghanistan is not extending an empire. it's bringing freedom to millions of people, faking out jihadists that would believe they would kill people simply because you believe differently than them and we are standing up for freedom around the globe. the greatest disinfectent to terrorism is freedom. ladies and gentlemen, the fight in afghanistan, though

difficult, is worth it. and i commend today and stand up and say, god bless those who have gone over there and put on the uniform. and i say thank you for your service to your country. the fight is worth it. and i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. the chair recognizes the gentleman from new york, mr. rangel, for five minutes. mr. rangel: i ask unanimous consent to revise and extend my remarks. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. mr. rangel: i have been so moved by the preceding gentleman's remarks about the good work that americans can do , especially when the argument is which side are we on, terrorism or freedom. i don't know how many cases in the world that the united states of america can intercede in, but i do know that as we

see these horrible examples of what people can do to their own people that we have thousands of americans that have volunteered to support our right. it seems to me when we talk about the protection of a human body, whether it's losing a limb or sight or face, no matter what it is, especially your life, that if america's going to take this position, all americans should be prepared to make the sacrifices, as the gentleman before me, has. i think it's bad when people talk about where our american men and women should be when america hasn't spoken.

presidents haven't declared war. and we find ourselves talking about volunteers when it's abundantly clear that everybody does not assume the same sacrifices, whether we are talking about taxes or loss of life. whether we talk about australia, afghanistan, iraq, before the people make a decision, before they make the decision at least say that everyone has to participate in that decision and not those who find themselves in communities with the highest, the very highest unemployment. and i applaud all those that volunteer because when that flag goes up you salute the flag. the president becomes the commander in chief and there's

only one thing to do and that's win and protect the integrity of the united states. but i submit that we have to have a draft that's a part of what? the united states, and not a plea for those people for economic reasons will have to protect themselves. i don't think i've ever said this before, but i was thinking about my brother who volunteered long before pearl harbor which today we commemorate and so he was unable to say nor i that he volunteered because we were being attacked. but several years later in 1848 when the -- 1948 when the war was over i volunteered and that was before the north koreans invaded south korea. i would like to walk away and say how patriotic we both were but what motivated me was the excitement my mother would get in receiving a check from my

older brother. and it wasn't a question of whether she loved him more. it was that she needed it. i was a teenager. 11, 12 years old. the one thing i knew, i wanted to make my mother happy as my brother did and send her that allotment check. and yet today i have medals and when i think about it, it was economic reasons that made me a, quote, hero, and there's economic reasons that make the heros that we have that defend our country and our flag so well. so i wasn't expected to talk about that but hearing 70 years ago we were attacked and the american lives that were lost and then coming back to what has happened in afghanistan, i am reminded of how unfair this

system is in the greatest country of the world and what separates us from so many countries where you can be born in the pits of poverty and yet you can always dream that in this great country that you can succeed. so many members of congress and so many members of the congressional hispanic caucus were the first ones that went to college, they were the first ones to become professionals and then the great honor to represent the united states of america in this congress. well, i yield back the balance of my time and i'm sorry to have deviated from why i came to the well, but i can say god bless america. we have to keep fighting for equality and justice for all. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. the chair recognizes the gentleman from colorado, mr. tipton, for five minutes.

mr. tipton: thank you, mr. speaker. yesterday, legislation that i sponsored along with senator michael bennett from colorado passed the house floor. this bill for the blue star mothers of america updated their congressional charter for the modern era. mr. speaker, i am privileged today, particularly on this day, as we commemorate the attack on pearl harbor 70 years ago, to be able to rise to honor the blue star mothers of america. people, women of america who've been providing much-needed assistance to our nation's active duty service men and women, veterans and military families since 1942. founded during the height of world war ii, the blue star mothers are a nonpartisan veterans' service organization

composed of mothers of current and former service members. today, over 5,000 dedicated women perform a wide variety of important volunteer services for our troops, providing transportation, supplies, food and emotional support. more than 225 local chapters across the united states carry out the mission of supporting our troops, our veterans and the families of our fallen heroes. as well as developing individual projects to assist specific needs of the military in their own communities. last month alone, thousands of care packages were sent to our troops overseas and chaplains, commanders across the military received boxes of supplies and gifts to be able to be distributed to the comrades. the blue star mothers were originally formed to bring their children home, to ensure that they were given benefits that they deserved and to provide them with a vast support network upon their arrival.

the organization has sense expanded to include other forms of assistance including rehabilitation, family services and civil defense. this was chartered by congress in 1960. mr. speaker, it is an honor to be able to recognize the blue star mothers of america, and i rise today to thank these patriotic women for their commitment to serving the needs of america's military community and for making the difference in the lives of those who sacrificed the most. mr. speaker, several years ago i had the opportunity to be at the graduation of the united states air force academy. my son-in-law was graduating and secretary gates delivered the commencement address. . at that time he noted that freshman class was the first to enter the academy after nefpble. knowing full well that -- 9/11. knowing full well that they would be putting themselves in harm's way. we have the finest volunteer military that the world has ever

seen. may god continue to bless this country with such men and women who will always stand for freedom. mr. speaker, i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. the chair recognizes the gentlelady from california. sorry, the order wrong here. repeat that, the chair recognizes the gentlelady from ohio, ms. kaptur, for five minutes. ms. kaptur: i thank the gentleman from ohio. the speaker pro tempore: i apologize. mr. ms. kaptur: numerous stories have come out all detailing corruption and outright fraud on wall street. first there was the recent news about the former secretary of treasury, hank paulson, inappropriately tipping a few key friends from goldman sachs and other wall street tycoons about the impending collapse of fannie mae and freddie mac. so those friends could make money on that insider knowledge. then a federal judge in new york

threw out one of the orchestrated settlements between citigroup, which was at the center of the wrongdoing, and the securities and exchange commission that allowed that bank to walk away from cases of fraud without admitting any wrongdoing. this past weekend, "60 minutes" interviewed a former executive vice president at countrywide financial, a giant and duplicitous player in the u.s. mortgage business. this woman was in charge of fraud investigations at the company before the financial crisis. according to her, countrywide loan officers were forging and manipulating borrowers' income and asset statements to help them get loans they weren't qualified for and couldn't afford. she went on to say, all of the recycle bins, wherever we looked in that company, were full of signatures that had been cut off of one document and put on to another and then photocopied or faxed. according to her, the fraud she witnessed as systemic, taking place in boston, chicago, miami,

detroit, las vegas, phoenix, and elsewhere. she was fired. before she could speak to government regulators about the extent of fraud she had documented. what is most trouble something that these stories are not isolated. the f.b.i. testified before congress as early as 2004 that they were seeing a epidemic in white collar crimes. they stated the f.b.i. did not have anywhere near enough agents to investigate the financial crisis. there are moments when i do wonder if the f.b.i. has the will to prosecute. but still today the f.b.i. has nowhere near enough special agents or forensic experts to properly investigate the level of corruption that we know occurred. frankly the congress has shorted the f.b.i., some might say purposely, the resources they need to do the job. i have a bill, and i invite my colleagues to support, h.r. 3050, the financial crisis criminal investigation act,

authorizing additional 1,000 f.b.i. agents to aggressively investigate the kind of fraud that has destroyed the economic future of millions of our people and upset the global financial system. back when we had the s&l crisis in the 199 -- 1990's, we had 1,000 agents. we are only up a little over 200. think about that, america. why do you think these people aren't in jail? frankly, this congress has not taken its responsibility seriously despite robust public reporting of misdeeds on wall street, it was not until the m.f. global case, one of the top 10 bankruptcies in this country, that congress has shown some mild interest in the magnitude of the inquiry required. in november we got an inside look into the stunning misdeeds, outright thieve will i, that occurred at m.f. global in the days before the bankruptcy. the total amount missing from private accounts has fluctuated over the weeks as much as $1.2

million, could be missing from private customer accounts. congress is finally having hearings on this subject tomorrow and we'll see how seriously investigation is pursued. let me say the public has a right to know on what specific dates throughout 2011 money from customer accounts was wire transferred in order to meet m.f. global's margin calls. this is the key question. members should ask, probe, and exact the truth. the public has the right to know on what specific dates through 2011 was money from private customer accounts at m.f. wire transferred in order to meet m.f.'s global margin calls. if mr. corzine authorized the taking of those funds, this body should remind him that no one is above the law, not even someone who is a norme goldman sachs c.e.o., former governor, and u.s. senator. whichever friends and associates aided his actions in that company should be brought into full sunlight as well as other

companies that were likely involved in those wire transfers. the fact that hundreds of millions of dollars, if not over $1 billion, can simply be stolen from a major banking institution from the inside requires full investigation not just by the congress but by the f.b.i. i'm reminded of that book written by free throw fessor william black, the best way to rob a bank is to own one. i wonder how much of that applies in this case. it's time that wall street, white collar crimes, be forecasted seriously that this congress do its job, give the f.b.i. the resources it needs to fully investigate and prrkt and the committees of this chamber use their full authority do no less. mr. speaker, i yield back my remaining time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady yields back. the chair recognizes the gentleman from nebraska, mr. smith, for five minutes. mr. smith: thank you, mr. speaker. i'm pleased to speak today about the regulations from executive in need of scrutiny or the reins

act. this bill which i have co-sponsored restores accountability to the regulatory process by requiring an up or down vote in congress and the president's signature on any new major rule before it is enforced on the american people. overregulation, mr. speaker, is devastating our economy and hindering job growth. the current administration's new regulations, 200 are expected to cost more than $100 million each. seven of those new regulations, however, will cost the economy more than $1 billion each. at the current pace, the total regulatory burden for 2011 alone will exceed $105 billion. the federal government has created more than 81.9 million hours' worth of paperwork this year alone, costing employers $80 billion just in compliance. it's no wonder a recent gallup poll found small business owners citing complying with government regulation, quote-unquote, as the most important problem they

face. nebraskans have not been immuned to the reins of red tape being handed down by regulators. just yesterday it was reported that the city of grant island, nebraska, population, 51,000, will be saddled with a $3.2 million compliance cost due to a new federal emissions regulation. this e.p.a. air pollution rule was finalized june 1 and will be enforced january 1. but this is only one example. there are additional even more costly rules and unworkable timelines coming down the pike. all of which mean a much longer winter for americans struggling with high energy costs. but it doesn't stop there. recently the department of labor proposed a misguided rule which would restrict youth involvement in agriculture work. yes, mr. speaker, anything from milking cows and feeding calves and hauling hey and detasseling corn would come under fire under the department's current rule. everyone agrees the safety of these young people and workers

everywhere is of the utmost importance, but by allowing such heff handed thoughtless regulation while greatly restricting opportunities for rural use. these jobs, often seasonal, each young people the responsibility and value the hard work and they are able to earn a little spending money in the process. i'm also a proud co-sponsor of the farm dust regulation act of 2011, h.r. 1633, which the house is slated to consider this week. this bill would prevent the e.p.a. from regulating farm dust or the type of dust which naturally occurs in rural areas. farmers and ranchers already are subject to strict federal and state regulations to control dust. it makes no sense for the e.p.a. to impose costlyier requirements on top of the existing standards. while the e.p.a. has backed off without legislative action, nothing prohibits the agency from regulating farm dust in the future. during a time of economic hardship, keeping the door opened for additional regulatory overreach is not the answer. actually, i'm often reminded of

a meeting i had in southeastern nebraska with representatives from a federal agency. good people they are. one of them said, it had been more than 20 years since he had ridden on a gravel road. for me this meeting certainly emphasized the disconnect between washington and rural america. these were only a few examples of the regulatory burden and uncertainty facing nebraskans who recognize economic growth, ultimately depend on job creators not regulators. mr. speaker, i encourage my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to support commonsense regulatory reforms like the reins act. this is yet another step toward increased accountability improving the regulatory process and providing certainty for job creators in my home state of nebraska but in states all across the country. thank you, mr. speaker. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. the chair recognizes the gentlelady from california, ms. woolsey, for five minutes. ms. woolsey: mr. speaker, the violence rages on in

afghanistan. earlier this week suicide bombers struck in three different cities. in each case targeting shiite worshipers who were observing a religious holiday. the death toll is at least 63. according to a news report. and a pakistani extremist group has claimed responsibility for the attacks. one eyewitness told "the new york times" he said, and i quote, he said we saw 30 or 40 people on the ground missing arms and legs. another said the kabul blast was timed to wreak the maximum havoc as the bomber detonated at the moment the crowd was largest. when one group was going into the mosque and another was existsing -- exiting. in the 10 years of this war it's the first attack specifically against shiites. adding a sectarian angle and religious tension that didn't and hadn't previously been prevalent in the afghanistan conflict.

mr. speaker, how can we call our occupation of afghanistan a success when after 10 years attacks like this and making a young woman like bebe that was talked about on the other side of the aisle earlier this morning, makes her victimization and her terrorization commonplace. when this is commonplace, we cannot be having success in afghanistan. the truth is our continued military presence is aggravating the violence. not containing it. and certainly not stopping it. i'm not saying that afghanistan will be magically transformed when the last of our troops leaves, but our best hope for peace, for security, and stability there is a swift end to this war. but here's another important thing, mr. speaker. if we do this right and have an

end of the war that is meaningful, we would -- it would mean the beginning of an even moreau bust engagement with afghanistan. an engagement based on the principles of smart security. in other words, a peaceful partnership based on mutual respect. assistance to strengthening afghanistan's democratic infrastructure not with military force but with civilian support. a smart security would empower the afghan people, investing in their hopes and dreams, instead of bringing further violence to their country. military reemployment out of afghanistan can't and won't mean a complete withdrawal from afghanistan. so i hope that every single one of my colleagues who has eagerly rubber-stamped more spending year after year, even while complaining about the united states budget deficits, will show the same enthusiasm and the

same support for humanitarian surge in afghanistan. i have to shake my head, mr. speaker. every time i hear someone say we can't afford such generous foreign aid. talk about penny-wise and pound-foolish. last fiscal year we spent roughly $2.5 billion on development assistance in afghanistan. mr. speaker, we go through that much war spending in afghanistan every single week. the bottom line is that smart investments provide more security at a fraction of the cost. pennies on the dollar compared to waging war. allowing extreme poverty and widespread unemployment to prevail throughout afghanistan imperils our national security as much as anything else. where there's hopelessness, that's where insurgents get a

foothold. nothing breeds terrorism like hardship, depravation, and despair. mr. speaker, because it's the right thing to do and because it's the best way to protect america, let's bring our troops home and make the transition to smart security. and let's do it now. i yield back. . the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady yields back. the chair recognizes the gentleman from north dakota, mr. berg, for five minutes. mr. berg: permission to address the house for five minutes. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. mr. berg: as i talk with north da coat -- dakotans, they have made it clear that president

obama's government stimulus is not working. washington bailed out wall street while main street continues to suffer. and washington persistently fails to balance the budget. meanwhile, the obama administration continues to pursue overreaching regulations that creates more red tape and uncertainty for north dakota's families, farms and small businesses. these burdensome regulations threaten job creation, and they are the biggest challenge facing our economy. we need to take serious steps today to halt the obama administration's regulatory overreach. that's why i announced my ration agenda. reduce the red tape, empower the state, grow the economy and stop president obama's overreach. this agenda is the result of

talking to north dakotans. on north dakota's farmers, ranchers and small businessmen, during my recent regulation tour, i spoke with energy providers who are concerned about the e.p.a.'s regional haze requirements. those could cost north dakota over $700 million just to comply. farmers told me about the forever-changing fuel storage mandates that added new costs and i heard how the new e.p.a. regulations on gas generators could cost north dakota school district a quarter of a million dollars. now, it's not because they're using generators more than they're allowed but the cost is because the e.p.a. simply doesn't like which hours they're using it. the rags agenda is also the product of feedback i received from north dakotans at 10 public town hall hearings i held this last year and throughout countless contacts

through mail, email and phone calls. the message was clear, washington is not the solution, it's the problem. to get our economy moving again and our country back on track, president obama and congressional leaders could learn a lot about the way we do things in north dakota. the rags agenda is also the product of legislation i've been working on. last month i introduced a bill that would rein in the obama administration's federal takeover of the state regional haze management which threatens to create more business uncertainty and stifle job creation. it also increases the energy costs for american families and small business. and today i'll proudly vote in support of the reins act which is a much-needed measure to rein in this regulatory overreach. but this agenda is not simply the sum of this past year. it's also a path moving forward. to rein in the overreaching,

out-of-touch government regulations that burden small business, farms, ranches each and every day. i will continue to add to this agenda, to fight against the job-killing regulations that threatens small businesses' ability to create jobs and grow our economy. the number one thing we can do to get our economy back on track, to give small business certainty, to grow and create jobs is to rein in president obama's overbearing regulations. they're burdening job creation and it adds more cost and more red tape. through the rags agenda i'll continue fighting to bring regulatory relief to the american people. thank you and i yield the remainder of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. the chair recognizes the gentlelady from california, ms. lee, for five minutes. ms. lee: thank you. i ask unanimous consent to

address the house for five minutes. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. ms. lee: thank you, mr. speaker. first, let me take the moment to thank the gentlelady from ohio, congressman marcia fudge, for her fearless and her tireless leadership in protecting our democracy and the bedrock, of course, of our country and that is the right to vote. she's done an amazing job keeping us very focused and pointed with all the information we need to fry to address this in -- try to address this in a big way. once again, i am here to sound the alarm because, make no mistake about it, the fundamental right to vote, which is at the heart of our democracy, its under attack. republican legislators and governors are proposing partisan laws that we crowd voters to show government-approved -- -- government-approved i. demplet's. i came here after the stolen pptal election in florida to protest the results of those

two elections that were filled with voter suppression. it worked for the republicans before. and so legislators in 42 states in this mass of shame had to double down on these strategies to make it harder for certain communities to vote. these proposals would disenfranchise 21 million americans. that's over one in 10 eligible voters in america who do not have adequate identification. now, how in the world, for example, would my 100-year-old aunt get her birth certificate to prove who she is to get a government i.d. to vote? she wouldn't know where to start nor how to pay for it. and it's no coincidence that a disproportionate number of these affected voters come from communities of color as well as the poor, the elderly and students. one in four otherwise qualified

african-americans would be unable to vote under these voter i.d. laws. around one in five asian americans, latinos and young adults between the ages of 18 to 24 would be blocked. in my home state of california, a voter i.d. bill was introduced to suppress voter participation. it would cost $26 just to get the required document to qualify or a government-issued i.d. now, having been born and raised in texas, this certainly looks like a poll tax to me, which those of us remember as a way to prevent african-americans from voting. these voter i.d. laws have a partisan agenda, seeking to disenfranchise and deny specific populations of voters before they have the opportunity to elect their representatives in government. these partisan laws, they're shameful and they are a disgrace to our country. if these republican lawmakers

were truly concerned with finding voter fraud, they would take on actual documented problems such as distributing fliers with false information meant to trick voter, improperly purging voters or tampering with election equipment and forms. instead, they're pushing laws designed to change election outcomes by reducing voting, repressing turnout and turning the clock back to the days of jim crow. this is the exact opposite of where our country needs to go. with almost 40% of eligible voters regularly staying away from voting booths, we need to be expanding participation in our democracy, making the ballot more accessible, not less. we cannot and we must not allow democracy to be undermined, especially while we're promoting democracy abroad. we must unmass these shameful attempts to disenfranchise voters. let's stop this partisan effort that strikes really at the core

of our country. let's win this war against voters. we should be about dismantling and reducing barriers so we can really begin to reignite the american dream for those who have lost hope. so i want to thank my colleague, especially congresswoman fudge, for their calls to protect the right to vote on behalf of all of the citizens across this great nation. thank you and i yield the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady yields back. the chair recognizes the gentlelady from california, ms. chu, for five minutes. ms. chu: america doesn't have a small business problem. it has a startup problem. that was the title of a recent "washington post" article. it pointed to the fact that self-employed startup businesses have been the chosen alternative for millions of americans, but we must do more to help them.

today, one out of every three new jobs is created by self-employed startup businesses. but we can do better. compared to other wealthy countries, the u.s. ranks 23rd in new businesses formed per 1,000 working adults. these entrepreneurs take risk to make it on their own, but they could do better if we help them be competitive. that is why yesterday i introduced the entrepreneur startup growth act. one of the most intimidating times of the years for new owners is tax season as they learn and navigate different tax standards for different businesses. my bill turns this tough time into an opportunity by offering not only affordable business tax assistance but business development services so that these companies can get the advice they need in order to grow. this bill builds on the self-implement tax initiative launched by cfed, the corporation for enterprise

development, a nonprofit economic organization. according to cfed, nearly 2/3 of all self-employed people are operating business startup. self-employed startups in their first year of existence create an average of three million jobs per year. in fact, without business startups, there would be no net job growth in the u.s. economy. nearly all net job creation since 1980 has occurred in self-employed startups less than five years old. they are critical to our economy. in my bill, community-based organizations, local governments and higher education institutions are eligible to apply for grants up to $75,000 to operate this program. the i.r.s. will work with the small business administration to ensure that the operators of the program have expertise in both fax assistance and business -- tax assistance and

business development assistance. this is a program that works. with such a modest investment in this assistance, 62% of businesses were able to get refundable tax credits such as eitc and making work pay, refunds that they might otherwise have missed out on. the entrepreneur startup growth act will help businesses grow and help low-income households build the assets that they need in order to survive. they will get the economic security they desire. we will help people climb up that ladder of opportunity and reach for that american dream. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady yields back. the chair recognizes the gentlelady from california, ms. speer, for five minutes. -- ms. speier, for five minutes. ms. speier: thank you, mr. speaker. i rise again today for the 13th time to talk about a stain on the american people, a stain on the american government. i am talking about military assault and rape. i'm talking about the 19,000

soldiers each year who are victims of sexual assault or rape in the military. those are figures by the department of defense. and yet only 13% will report because they know that if they do report they will be smarely removed. most are honorably discharged after they report rape. a few weeks ago not far from here an organization, a nonprofit, protect our defenders, was born. it launched to give voices to survivors of sexual assault in our military. more than 6,000 americans have signed survivor terry odom's petition, whose story i told here on the floor.

terri's petition demands congress take the reporting of sexual assault and rape outside the normal chain of command. i imagine many of my colleagues have received emails and tweets or facebook messages from their constituents about this issue. this is a movement and we must address it. our troops protect us and we must protect them. both republicans and democrats should be able to agree we need to fix this system. today, i'm going to tell you the story of petty officer amber derohrabacher. petty officer derohrabacher -- derosch served in the navy from december, 2000 to december of 2005. in august of 2001 petty officer derosch was raped in a hotel in thailand. one officer ripped off her clothes and held her down while the other assailanted raped

her. they took turns holding her down after the other raped her. after they had their way with her, one of the rapists threw her in the shower in attempt to wash off the evidence. they then tooked her out of the room and onto the unfamiliar streets of thailand. the next day she went to get a medical examine. petty officer derosch was bruised that the physician had to stop the exam and began to cry. petty officer derosch decided to report this to her command. she became the target of severe harassment, was imprisoned in the medical ward and denied food. i know this sounds unbelievable but this is going on in our military. when the petty officer was released from the medical ward,

her command refused her to leave the ship and forced her to be oncall 24 hours a day without receiving any counseling to help her cope with having been raped. the petty officer sought out the ship's chaplain and told him she was suicidal because of her rapes and her subsequent mistreatment. she was finally permitted to leave her ship and serve out the remainder of her duty on another ship. as if the horrifying assault and subsequent mistreatment of the petty officer is not heartbreaking enough, her predators didn't get the punishment they deserved. in fact, something very different. instead of court marshalling the predators, her command decided to handle the rapes with so-called nonjudicial punishment. the punishment required the rapists to admit their crimes so they admitted them. they got six months docked pay and a reduced rank for only one of the rapists. both of the rapists were

permitted to remain on active duty. when command informed the petty officer of the outcome, they also advised her to, quote, refrain from speaking out against the lack of punishment or accountability. the petty officer's story like many others highlights a system that is unimaginable to so many of us. . and a system that is so clearly broken. in the military, a base commander has complete authority. let me repeat that. complete authority and discretion over how a degrading and violent assault under his command is handled. if they don't want a black mark on their record or if their friends is accused or if they don't know how to deal with a case, they get a slap on the wrist. my bill, the sexual assault training oversight and prevention act, the stop act, takes this issue and puts it in the hands of others who can

handle it appropriately. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady yields back. pursuant to clause 12-a of rule 1, the chair declares the house in recess until noon today.

to her command. she became the target of severe harassment, was imprisoned in the medical ward and denied food. i know this sounds unbelievable but this is going on in our military. when the petty officer was released from the medical ward, her command refused her to leave the ship and forced her to be oncall 24 hours a day without receiving any counseling to help her cope with having been raped. the petty officer sought out the ship's chaplain and told him she was suicidal because of her rapes and her subsequent mistreatment.

she was finally permitted to leave her ship and serve out the remainder of her duty on another ship. as if the horrifying assault and subsequent mistreatment of the petty officer is not heartbreaking enough, her predators didn't get the punishment they deserved. in fact, something very different. instead of court marshalling the predators, her command decided to handle the rapes with so-called nonjudicial punishment. the punishment required the rapists to admit their crimes so they admitted them. they got six months docked pay and a reduced rank for only one of the rapists. both of the rapists were permitted to remain on active duty. when command informed the petty officer of the outcome, they also advised her to, quote, refrain from speaking out against the lack of punishment or accountability. the petty officer's story like many others highlights a system that is unimaginable to so many of us. . and a system that is so clearly broken. in the military, a base commander has complete authority. let me repeat that. complete authority and discretion over how a degrading and violent assault under his command is handled. if they don't want a black mark on their record or if their friends is accused or if they don't know how to deal with a case, they get a slap on the wrist. my bill, the sexual assault training oversight and prevention act, the stop act, takes this issue and puts it in the hands of others who can handle it appropriately. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady yields back. pursuant to clause 12-a of rule 1, the chair declares the house in recess until noon today. is is is is is >> i yield to the gentleman from virginia, mr. connolly,

for a purpose of a question. >> in serving his country a second time in making sure that taxpayers' investments are protected and assisting when many others might be daunted. i also want to say to our colleague, if he's still here, i guess mr. gowdy isn't here, but if mr. gowdy is serious about toughening up the criminal penalties, he will final allies on the side of the aisle. our subcommittee has pointed out there are every year 125 billion dollars in improper payments. now, sometimes it's innocent. mistaken billing. somebody gets paid or gets double paid. somebody what's not qualified to get a benefit gets a benefit. i know that u.s. attorneys' offices are consumed with medicare and medicaid fraud. the u.s. attorney's office in boston just announced a $3 billion recovery. that's one out of 99 u.s. attorneys' offices. so we now it's out there. if we eliminated improper payments, by the way, we could give a christmas gift to the supercommittee of $1.25 trillion over the next 10 years. without breaking a sweat, without affecting anyone's benefits, without having political drama -- >> will the gentleman yield? >> without gutting any necessary investments. >> i yield. >> i thank the gentleman. as you well state, if you take the fraud, improper payments -- against, we don't know -- >> right. >> of medicaid, discussing here today and as you know from our

previous hearing on medicare, these two programs alone account for $70 billion a year of that $125 billion. so over 10 years, you're talking $700 billion. i yield back. >> thank you, mr. chairman. of course, as you know, some of that men was cited in the financing of the a-- that money was cited in the financing of the affordable health care act. some criticized us for that as if we were gutting the program. in fact, we were simply trying to recovery. either improperly made payments or illicitly made payments. i want to make sure we get the narrative on the record. ms. west, if you don't mind, i heard mr. west, when was -- when did mr. west first discover something was wrong and how? >> he testified -- >> if you could speak into the microphone. >> three months after he came out of the nursinging home he realized something was wrong --

nursing home he realized something was wrong. >> what realized something was wrong? >> he was not getting the care that he was entitled to get under the program. he was getting fewer hours of nursing care. >> ok. and maybe initially he thought that was a mistake. >> i thought they were having a hard time servicing my case. but then it became apparent -- >> right. >> who they wanted. >> well, the testimony submitted on your behalf by your attorney, ms. west, said you attempted to bring the matter to the government's attention by contacting the state. what state was that in >> new jersey. >> new jersey. the medicaid program itself. so you went to a local office.

and your social worker. >> correct. >> and the testimony says all to no avail. >> correct. >> meaning what, they ignored it? >> yes. >> ok. so you then decided this isn't right, i'm not getting anywhere and i am therefore going to turn to a private attorney. and you used actually something congress did well, the false claims act. >> right. >> which gave you a vehicle for redress as a -- as you put it, relator. >> right. >> what was -- ms. west, if you could describe to us, what was the reaction of the medicaid official -- when faced with this potential fraud, at least on your initial contacts? >> are you asking -- >> yes, i'm asking you, ms. west. >> i did not contact medicaid. i followed the lawsuit under the false claims act, and so my first contact was with the u.s.

attorney's office in the district of new jersey. >> ok. got you. did medicaid at any point react to the filing of the lawsuits or to the claims contained thrin? >> again, i didn't have -- therein? >> again, i didn't have any contact with medicaid. i came through the united states -- >> did your client talk to medicaid? >> it's under seal when we file the lawsuit and we are not allowed to talk about it. >> even with medicaid? >> not unless it would be a partial list -- lifting of the seal and they would set up the meeting and medicaid officials would be there but there was nothing like that. >> and presumably you made repeated attempts with the medicaid office, mr. west, and i know my time is running out, to try to alert them to this and get them to act? >> yes. >> and they were indifferent? >> correct.

>> we look forward to their testimony. thank you. my time has run out. thank you, mr. chairman. >> before we conclude, i yield myself just a final minute and, mr. west, my understanding is in giving an interview, you shared an example of the lack of cooperation you got as you tried to correct this and that you were in front of a judge or adjudicated setting where you were told that there's evidence that they did provide these services and they were not agreeing with you, believing you, and you made a statement that you -- while you were in front of this individual that was falsely dealing services to you. could you share that? >> we went to trenton to the federal courthouse. [inaudible]

they heard my story. i said how bad for a nurse in my home while i'm sitting here with you. i left my home in the morning. my son was gone. went to trenton. that was the prosecutor. i said all that. [inaudible] in january i sent an email

saying, i told you so. they billed for 7:00 to 3:00 for an r.n. in my home. they got there about 5:00 that night. they billed the same nurse. christmas day we were in pennsylvania. [inaudible] and this particular nurse was reading my mail, looking at my emails. i had to tell my attorney, do not send anything to my home or

email. don't mention who they're from or who they're about. [inaudible] i have people spying on me in my home while they were stealing from you. >> one more example of how you were being victimized by a very unscrupulous company and its employees. >> yeah. >> the fact that you are sitting with the very investigators, they're falsely billing services to you just epitomizes the outrageousness of this case and, again, as you reference having left your home at 6:45 in the morning and not getting back to 5:00, another example of your persistencey and willingness to do whatever it took to bring justice on behalf of the american people, taxpayers and to ensure that you were properly provided the services you've earned and deserved, especially as a

veteran of our nation's armed forces. i thank each of you again for your testimony here today, but more so than just your testimony here today, your efforts almost a decade of frying to bring justice on behalf of your fellow -- trying to bring justice on behalf of your fellow citizens. adam, i think it goes without saying, but i imagine you are a very proud son to be richard west's son and know that he's a true servant of this nation. so god bless each and every one of you. we will recess for five minutes while we recess for the second panel. >> may i have one minute? >> yes, you may. >> today is pearl harbor day. and i would like to say, my dad, thomas earl west, served in the pacific. my mom was [inaudible]

during that war. we had a country that was together. we need that now. we need people like me, people like you to sit down and fix the government. >> well stated, mr. west. >> thank you. i'm honored to be here. >> god bless you. thank you. stand in recess.

>> just want to let you know that this hearing will continue in a few minutes. they're taking a recess and you can continue to watch the hearing on medicaid fraud.

we will have that for you online at c-span.org. coming up in about half an hour, the u.s. house will gavel in and have a pair of motions to negotiate with the senate on military construction spending for 2012. and the defense programs bill. also, a bill that would bar the sale of synthetic drugs that imitate the had a louis jenic or -- stimulant properties of drugs. the house coming back on noon. the senate is in today working all day. and speeches likely on extending the payroll tax cut. on tuesday majority leader reid filed a motion to limit debate on the president's pick to head the consumer financial protection bureau. so a vote likely at the end of the week. the senate on c-span2. until the house comes in we'll show you the comment of representative tim walz who put forth a bill that would ban insider trading by u.s. lawmakers. they held a hearing on it

earlier this week. we will show you as much of this portion as we can until the house gavels in at noon. guest: stop trading on congressional knowledge act. it basically says that members of congress should play by the same rules as other americans when it comes to trading on commodities and futures and stocks that the knowledge we gain by the job that we're -- have the privilege of doing shouldn't influence our ability to pick stocks and this simply puts in some teeth to make sure it doesn't happen. host: how long have you been writing this bill or introducing this bill? guest: well, it's been around since 2006. i came in the election since 2006. i took it up with former congressman baird and louise slaughter. we've been reintroducing it each congress. reintroduced it in march of

this year with little fanfare. unfortunately what we feared happened where they ran on a story with a conflict of interest. host: and here is part of that story from "60 minutes." >> do you think it's all right for a speaker to accept a very preferential, favorable stock deal? >> that isn't the case. >> at a time when there's major legislation affecting the company in the house? >> the fact is your basic premise is a false one and -- >> participate in the i.p.o. >> i have many -- >> there was a bill very unfavorable to the credit card companies. >> well, i will recall my record in terms of fighting the credit card companies and the speaker of the house or as a member of congress up against anyone. host: that, of course, was former speaker pelosi talking with steve croft of cbs' "60

minutes." guest: yeah. this was the american public, obviously, there's no secret to anyone, they're very frustrated. their trust in congress is at an all-time low. my fear is anyone that gave the perception whether it happened or not is always very dangerous because it undermines the credibility of the congress. not that we debate and you differ with your member of congress that they disagree with you politically but you have to believe they are out there looking out for your best interest without thinking about personal finance. this was never introduced to publicly embarrass or go after -- some people say a witch-hunt. that was not the intent. the intent was to have a trust build up with the american public and that leafl of democracy was there. we felt -- a level of democracy was there. we felt there was a gap. i think the "60 minutes" story

at least shows the perception of that. host: congressman walz, what's the downside to this legislation? guest: i don't see it. i lived with this a long time. i am open to it. one is that the constitution speech and debate clause, the idea that members of congress have additional duties like oversight and making sure they're out listening to concerns and that the fear is that members would be less inclined to do that because they might be fearful that they're going to pick up something. i think it's a specious argument. my take is i don't think you should be trading at all. i am certainly not going to prohibit my colleagues from doing lawful things. i don't think there is a downside to it if it restores for america. the vast majority of americans, myself, i don't direct my own stock. it's a teacher retirement. someone else does it.

the market has to be fair just like congress should be fair. there is some insider baseball things that the securities and exchange commission feels if we make it too narrow it would make it harder to enforce. host: now, there was a hearing yesterday in the house financial affairs committee on this issue. by the way, the numbers are up on the screen. if you want to talk to congressman walz about his bill, the stop bill and congressional insider trading, in are the numbers up on the screen. but spencer bachus is chairman of the house financial services committee and he, too, was featured in the "60 minutes" story, and here's just a little bit from congressman bachus. >> many members of congress have been accused of really some indefensible acts takes place. so i think it's created a public perception, and so i think as a result of that and

the number one misconception is that insider trader -- inside trading laws do not apply to members of congress. however, i do believe we can clarify that, make it clearer to restore public trust. when an accusation is made, it has an effect, even if it's a false allegation. guest: yeah. and i agree. i think the chairman's statement there, and i'd like to applaud him and leader pelosi for bringing this up and both have expressed their support of moving something on this. i think the chairman's willingness to bring this to a committee in an open forum to hear what we have to say, to bring in an expert, is a great step forward. i certainly want to be very clear. i don't know whether this happens or not. but the ability for it to happen is certainly there, and

it's something we saw years ago and the perception of the public is that it's happening. that in and of itself, redundancy is better than doing nothing. if it's a little bit of overkill and members of congress have to maybe step back a little bit from that, that's part of public service. i think they should be willing to do so. host: has congressman bachus and minority leader pelosi co-sponsored this? guest: i don't think so. the committee is in the process of writing this up. some of my colleagues yesterday brought up suggestions to improve this bill. i'd like nothing more than that. i was trying to get folks on to help us with it. i don't claim this is the most -- that it's absolutely perfect because i haven't seen, you know, their suggestions yet. but i hope that now it sounds like both the senate and the house on the 14th will be doing the big task is the voting committee that will move it to the full senate and full house.

host: well, the stop bill, the stop trading on congressional knowledge act prevents executive branch employees from buying or selling security swaps or commodity futures based on nonpublic information, disclosing nonpublic information on pending perspective legislation for investment purposes, requires reports of purchase, sell or exchange in excess of $1,000 in 90 days. guest: $100 million a year industry. what it amounts to is folks that come to congress or come to members' offices or committees and try to glean information that, for example, what contract might be awarded or what direction a bill is going with the intent of going back and tipping people to what's happening so that they can make their investment decisions based on that.

i think it's a practice at best should be regulated. we regulate lobbyists who come here and those lobbyists can range from defense industries to juvenile diabetes supporters but the fact is you and the american public have the right to know who is talking to their member of congress and what is the interest of that member of congress, especially financially, in that. so what we do is ask these people to register. let them know they can continue to do their business but it should be in the light of day. the problem we have now is there is absolutely no requirement. so if you're coming, if you're talking, if you're gaining information, you can go and move that. and this is a -- it's just a cancerous on the democracy and on the market that if the american people believe somebody else is getting a deal that is better than the rest of us, it undermines trust. so i think that's a very important part of this bill and to be very honest it doesn't get talked about much. and we think it needs to be in

there. host: tim walz is our guest. third term member of congress from minnesota. he represents the southeastern part of the state, including the cities of rochester and mancato. first call from him comes from allentown, pennsylvania. richard on our democrats line. hi, richard. caller: good morning. i have a question. i suspect that one of the -- newt gingrich -- i remember hearing somewhere that he got -- got a -- made a lot of money from investments. of this type. two questions. would his -- now that he's out of congress, i suspect that a lot of what he made came after he left congress. i'm not sure. i don't -- i'm not sure.

but i would -- i would ask, would his actions be in violation of your new law? and second, what would the punishment be? it would upset me. host: ok, richard, we got the point. thank you for calling in. guest: thanks, richard. i can't speak to an individual, whether it's mr. gingrich or whether it's chairman bachus or leader pelosi. i can't speak to these individual ones. and our system should be allowed to do that, to carry those things out. i think again your point is well taken that i think this crosses all political boundaries. i'm sure if you have strong political beliefs, there's probably the assumption the other side is doing it. i think with america right now, they believe everybody is. how do you expect us and the american public to think we can

work together to solve the real problems of the day like unemployment or dealing with energy and these types of things when they don't believe we're in it for the right things? if there's an energy bill, if the american public thinks they're invested in this type of energy or that, it's very dangerous. as far as the punishments for this, what we're saying it's not centered. it should be criminal. martha stewart went to prison for two years for what basically is my belief that the potential lies there for members of congress to do. i know that the securities and exchange commission seems to think, as do some members of congress, that there's already prohibitions against this. my response to that is there are studies that show members of congress outperform the stock market on a yearly basis, year in and year out, and i don't know if this is somewhat anecdotal but no member of congress or staff has ever been prosecuted on this. and the odds of that happening seem to be pretty astronomical to me.

i certainly can't speak on individuals. i tell you if we pass this thing there will be teeth in it and the same thing that martha stewart went against, if that's happening here, will certainly apply. there will be no protection and the ability just because you're a member of congress that you somehow have an ability to not be held to that is ludicrous. host: buckley springs, west virginia, carl on our republican line. you are on line with congressman tim walz. caller: i think it's sad when the congress has to legislate honesty. that should be a prerequisite when you folks get there. i recall the dodd-frank bill, mr. dodd had a sweetheart deal from countrywide mortgage. there he is legislating rules for these mortgage rules and countrywide is giving him a sweetheart deal. a big loan for practically no interest, and also i think it was conrad also got a

sweetheart deal from countrywide. now, you know, you folks will legislate this but you'll leave a loophole that you can drive a truck through, i guarantee it. guest: carl, your skepticism is well placed. if i were you i would be skeptical too. the thing i would tell you, carl, i do believe the vast majority of us that get here -- i'm a retired sergeant major in the army national guard and i am a school teacher and football coach. i tried to live my life right. i wouldn't claim to be perfect. i didn't have investments. i don't do that. my goal here is to try and make legislation that improves the lives of americans. i am trying to do the best i can. i don't want to leave a loophole in this. i think you pointed out exactly what i said, the previously caller on the democratic side point out concerns about mr. gingrich. you call and point it out. you are validating your concerns. what i'm hearing, carl, you need to have your faith restored there is no loophole.

i agree with you. i think it is absolutely sad that we have to legislate this. i think we need to start restoring trust to people and if you're calling in, you're saying, i disagree with you, congressman, based upon your policy, not because i don't think you love your country or because you're scamming the country, i think you're wrong on the policy, that's healthy. that's dreaks. you're right -- that's democracy. you're right. my hope is to close it, make sure it doesn't happen and say, ok, that's one thing that's ficksded. across this country there's a loss of faith in our institutions, whether it's banking, whether it's wall street or whether it's congress. we have a responsibility as members to restore that one person at a time. host: congressman walz, gary tweets in to you.

guest: well, i don't think it is gary. the one thing i would tell you is that i certainly would not want to pay the fees for a blind trust when i don't need one, i don't manage any of my finances. all i have is my teacher retirement and my national guard for doing 24 years there. the other thing that i think people are concerned about is that who's controlling the blind trust? i'm certainly willing to put it there but the stock act goes above and beyond and gives you transparency. i'm someone who thinks we should put everything out there. my standard is everything i learn in my job that i wouldn't learn teaching school in mankato, minnesota, i consider insider knowledge. i can't imagine trying to think about my own personal finances is when my job is here. our neighbors send us to a representative democracy. i think it's a good idea. the one thing i would say, gary, is that i think we could go above and beyond and i think there might be some questions

there about how some of those are directed. but i certainly am willing to and think that's probably a good suggestion. host: dan is an independent in detroit. good morning. caller: do you guys think you are above the law? what about the free trade agreements? what kind of perks are you getting from that? what about the missing money that's come up from the war? when are you guys going to investigate that and start putting people into jail? guest: well, i certainly don't think, dan, i am above the law. i would make the argument that i should be held to a higher standard. the trust that you and your fellow americans put in us to come, if this gets undermined -- this is truly the bedrock of democracy and democracy is not a permanent state. it takes work and responsibility, not just rights that we have, and so my job is to try and restore your faith in that. i hear it in your voice and i hear it in the previously caller's, i understand we have a long ways to go but we got to start somewhere. it's got to be done one at a time. as far as perks, there isn't.

when i first got here, we argued that there would be no trips, no food, no anything from lobbyists. i think that was great. and now we don't do any of that. i would make the argument, as some of you are thinking right now, get the money out of politics. do campaign finance reform. i could not agree more. the biggest thing that you have to have is not agreeing with me on policy but believing i am here trying to do the right thing for the country, that i'm simply wrong when you disagree. not that i'm gaming the system or you signed this bill, congressman so-and-so, so you could get a deal here. that's appalling. and i have to tell you, i -- before i came here as a teacher, very proud, very noble profession, doing what most middle-class folks do, working hard, trying to save a little bit of money for retirement, trying to figure out how to get my young kids if they're going to go to college, and playing by the rules. i think in america today there is certainly the belief that certain people don't have to play by the rules.

not only do they not get in trouble, they benefit from that. so what i can pledge to you on this, dan, is that this is the first start. and, again, i don't -- your skepticism is well earned. we have proven to you there is a reason to be skeptical but i say it's imperative for our democracy to start believing in. to call your member of congress today and tell them, why aren't you on this? i would encourage gary, call and tell them to add an amendment to put blind trust part of the bill. that's how the system works. wait and see if we do it. if the proof is in the pudding, if this is all for show because "60 minutes" did a story and peter is talking about it today and it's just that hopefully we've been under the carpet, then shame on us. i tell you what, if you think 9% approval rating for congress is low, try not to pass this bill or something like it and see what the public says. i hear you. the only thing i got is my word. the pledge to you. i'm trying my best.

there aren't any special perks. i am trying to make sure that the perception has teeth in them and we get down to moving the country forward. host: spoony35 tweets in to you. guest: that's a fair assumption. i think -- and a previous caller said that it's a sad day when you have to legislate on honor and mortality. i would be cautious and let you know the -- morality. i would cautious and let you to know the vast majority of my colleagues is honorable folks trying to do the right thing. there have been loopholes. there have been perceptions. we have to set the record straight on this. i think you're right, insider trader, and it was written in the 1994 s.e.c. law, has a lot of ambiguity to it. it's a very difficult thing to say. so, for example, i was home at thanksgiving with my relatives and we're discussing the farm

bill and my -- it's not insider knowledge, necessarily, but i do know that i'm not certain when we're going to get that thing done or some of the things that are in there. this is not classified information shes but it could be con--, but it could be con strued, milk prices will rise and my cousins, relatives, sister, traded on the stock? that could be considered some insider trading, but you're saying, well, then everything is. what if i read a lot and i figured this out and it didn't take a genius to figure it out that you guys were going to fail on the supercommittee and stocks were going to job? that's -- you're exactly right. i think, again, i would come back to our folks online that wrote the question, we got to restore that faith. and i had a friend of mine, a former senator, republican, when asked how to restore faith in the system he pointed and said we have to do it one

person at a time. while the senator endorsed me, he didn't endorse my political ideology in its whole but he endorsed cleaning the system up. i take responsibility for the parts i can do to make it better. host: mark, republican in fort lauderdale, florida. you are on the phone with congressman walz. caller: hello, congressman. guest: hi. caller: let me start by thanking you for your point of view here. i'm a republican. i'm clearly from the other side of the political aisle. at least i appear to be. but your point of view here, i think, is spot on. there are certain issues that transcend all our partisanship and trust in congress right now is clearly one of them. and my original question was going to be, why can't we do the blind trust approach? that's been asked and answered. but let me ask a broader question. how is it that congress exempts itself from so many laws that

we as citizens and business owners have to abide by? and i think of the obamacare plan that i believe congress was going to be exempted from, i think of -- i understand labor laws, eeoc laws, we have the insider trieder here. shouldn't it be the case -- insider trading here. shouldn't it be the case that congressmen are supposed to be the citizen representatives of our nation? guest: mark, i absolutely agree. i think -- i take the position that this public trust -- and that's exactly what it is, has been given an incredible responsibility and an honor by our neighbors, and the thought of letting them down, letting my mother down, if you will, in that i'm trying to do what's right, is simply unacceptable to me. that's why i think it should be higher. the idea of exempting, i think there are cases, and this is

one where i think we can certainly clarify, there's a debate that i think is an honest one that the constitution was written at a time when there was great fear. of course, forming the new union that especially in great britain that there was the people would use things that were said to prosecute or to hold folks in parliament from doing their job. and the speech and debate clause in article 1, section 6 basically says that what we say on the house floor and some of those things can't be used against us to throw us out because you disagree with the political ideology. i have to be honest. i think, mark, sometimes people hide behind that. i heard some of my colleagues mention that. we can still keep the open, honest debate but that's an excuse for not looking at our finances. if it were me, i think we should have to show all tax rurps and show the connection -- returns and show the connection to those. we do electronic disclosure.

if you want to go online right now and go to certain sites, the s.e.c. or whatever, you can see this is what tim walz makes. this is what he owns, this is how he came to congress with this much money and this is what he has now, i think the way is to strengthen that even more. i think that's right. to be honest, mark, we have to require people on wall street to report 48 hours on stock trade and try to drum up support, i said 90 days and i have people saying, well, that's too short of time. so i hear you on this. i think this is restoring faith. i think it's asking folks and c.e.o.'s on wall street, whether it's the tea party movement or the occupy folks, i think there's a common thread that runs through there is there is some people gaming the system and making out like bandits like folks like the caller calling in, mark, saying i'm working my tail off and i have to report it, you don't. that's a terrible cancer on the democracy and we got to clean it up.

so i think we -- every little bit helps. host: and we are talking with congressman tim walz, a democrat of minnesota, about the stock act. here are some tweets that have come in. guest: well put. >> and you can watch this anytime online. our video library at c-span.org. "washington journal" live every day of course at 7:00 a.m. eastern. the u.s. house gaveling in momentarily. several bills on the calendar today, including a pair of

motions to negotiate with the senate on the 2012 military construction spending and defense programs bill for fiscal year 2012. more work is also expected on the federal regulations bill. the house started yesterday. a live look at the u.s. capitol with the flag at half staff. it's pearl harbor day. we're likely to hear a number of more speeches about the 70th anniversary of pearl harbor. up next, live coverage of the u.s. house here on c-span.

the speaker: the house will be in order. the prayer will be offered today by our guest chaplain, reverend roger schoolcraft from fateville, arkansas. the chaplain: almighty and most high god, father, son and holy spirit, you led our forefathers to leave your presence in the fabric of our nation. we must also acknowledge and trust your presence among us daily. and although we may face many obstacles and adversities, continue to shower us with your

mercy, that we may recover. today we thank you for healing our nation from the attack on pearl harbor 70 years ago. we are grateful for all those who sacrificed their lives to preserve our freedom. o lord, may we not squander it. bless all wounded warriors, veterans and their families. fill them and us with your peace and joy this christmas season. give us wisdom and lead us by your spirit, that the choices made here would result in our country united, an economy restored and hearts grateful for your loving care. through jesus christ, our lord, amen. the speaker: the chair has examined the journal of the last day's proceedings and announces to the house his approval thereof. pursuant to clause 1 of rule 1, the journal stands approved. the pledge of allegiance today will be led by the gentleman

from illinois, mr. quigley. mr. quigley: i pledge allegiance to the flag of the united states of america and to the republic for which it stands, one nation, under god, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. the speaker: without objection, the gentleman from arkansas, mr. womack, is recognized for one minute. mr. womack: thank you, mr. speaker. today it is my privilege to introduce the reverend roger schoolcraft of fayetteville, arkansas. rirched schoolcraft retired from the ministry in 2008 after nearly 40 years in the ministry serving congregations in iowa, nebraska and most recently northwest arkansas where he led st. john's lute ren church in fayette -- lutheran church in fayetteville, arkansas. he was called to the ministry in 1953 after accepting an invitation from a friend to attend a sunday school class at st. john's lutheran church in

rochester, michigan. mr. speaker, reverend schoolcraft's service extend beyond the walls of the church. he served as campus pastor of the lutheran student center at the university of arkansas. he was a circuit counselor for 11 years and was assistant dean and dean for two national campus missionary institutes. locally he was president of cooperative emergency outreach, secretary treasurer of the alliance and treasurer of the counsel of religious organizations. he's married to deborah steen. they have two children, andrea and aaron. on behalf of the united states house of representatives, i want to thank reverend schoolcraft for his long stank devotion to the ministry -- long-standing devotion to the ministry, the devotion. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the chair will entertain up to 15 further one-minute requests from each side of the aisle. for what purpose does the gentleman from ohio rise? >> madam speaker, i ask

permission to address the house for one minute. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. >> madam speaker, i'd like to congratulate the gentleman from illinois, congressman randy hultgren, on winning our friendly wager of the mac championship football game last friday. mr. johnson: ohio university and northern illinois university are located in the districts that we're privileged to represent. the game was an instant classic. both teams left everything on the field, gave it their all and in the process made their universities and their fans proud. the bobcats jumped out to an early lead but the huskies of northern illinois fought back, showed their toughness and won the game on the game's final play. another way to say it is that o.u. won the first half, northern illinois won the second half. both teams were worthy of participation in the game and it's a shame that either team had to come out on the losing end. i'm very proud of the o.u. bobcats and i look forward to watching both teams compete in their bowl games and

representing their schools in the same fashion they did last friday night. with that i yield back. congratulations to congressman hultgren. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from colorado rise? >> i ask permission to address the house for one minute and to revise and extend. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. polis: thank you, madam speaker. a huge tax increase is looming unless this house takes action immediately. unless this house tax action in the next few weeks, a typical american household earning $50,000, $60,000 a year will see a tax increase of $1,000 a year on payroll taxes. yes, madam speaker, $1,000 tax increase for middle-class families, many of whom have not seen any raises or increases for several years due to the recession. people who are struggling to support their families will see $1,000 tax increase if this body does not act in the next several weeks. this is a tax increase that most families haven't budgeted for, haven't prepared for. they haven't assumed that this congress is as dysfunctional as

it potentially is to not fix this tax increase. we shouldn't harm the american middle class and the american people. i call upon my colleagues to support renewing the payroll tax extension to make sure that middle-class families are not slapped with $1,000-plus tax increase next year. i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from texas rise? mr. poe: i ask permission to address the house for one minute. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. mr. poe: madam speaker, a pakistani woman in an arranged marriage was constantly raped and abused by her husband. he accused her of becoming a doctor only to attract men. he blamente her for the miscarriage -- he blamed her for the miscarriage that she had. she was angry when she gave birth to two girls rather than two boys and he was abuser of the girls and his wife. her and her daughters were able to escape to the united states to find safety. she will not go back to pakistan because her former husband's family say they will kill her. violence against women unfortunately is too common of

a plight for women throughout the world. my grandmother used to tell me that you never hurt somebody you claim to love. as the leader of the free world, it's critical that the united states promotes the simple truth throughout this country and other countries. every person has the right to a life free of violence, and i want to thank the gentlelady from illinois, ms. schakowsky, for bringing this attention to the members of congress. as we reflect on this fact during these 16 days against gender violence. and that's just the way it is. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from illinois rise? >> to address the house for one minute. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. >> thank you, madam speaker. madam speaker, in 1996 congress passed the so-called defense of marriage act or doma. mr. quigley: it is then as it is today an affront to our country's values, values that was established in the declaration of ints of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness and of the quality and fairness for all. on october 7 of this year, i held a field forum in chicago with my colleague, jan

schakowsky, to hear from legal experts and gay and lesbian couples about the real world harm caused by doma. the findings were startling. i asked the clerk to enter their testimony in the record. burdens that are imposed on normal americans just trying to live a normal life. it is incomprehensible that today we are still dealing with such injustice. congress created this injustice and congress should correct it. let the record reflect these sentiments. thank you and i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from illinois rise? >> i ask permission to address the house for one minute. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. >> thank you, madam speaker. 1.75 trillion dollars annually. america's job creators are buried under regulatory burden of about $1.75 trillion annually. the cost of regulatory from new regulations just this year is $67.4 billion which is larger than the entire state budget of illinois, my home state.

studies and polls have shown us time and again that the regulations are a hidden form of taxation and just as our tax code is in need of reform, so is our regulatory system. mr. hultgren: i am proud to sport reins act. it will require that congress approve every new major regulation proposed by the executive branch. to ensure that congress, not unelected bureaucrats, retain control and accountability for the impact of government on the american people. unless congress acts decisively, this unchecked regulatory state will only grow bigger and make things more complicated. let's pass the reins act and give our job creators the certainty they need to grow, expand and put americans back to work. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from california rise? >> madam speaker, i ask unanimous consent to address the house for one minute. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. baca: madam speaker, this here will be a very difficult holiday season for millions of

americans looking for jobs. sadly, these family, by not getting the help they deserve from the republicans here in congress, we have now reached 337 days of republican control here in the house and we still do not have a jobs plan from the republicans. benefits for over six million unemployed americans are about to expire. and now to make matters worse, republicans' uncertainty about the 160 million middle-class families by stalling expanding the payroll tax cuts. republicans refuse to ask more than those that are not paying their fair share. we should not let the cuts expire. no new taxes, no new jobs. no new taxes, no new jobs. we must pass a responsible tax plan that extends the

unemployment benefits and gets our economy moving again. i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from illinois rise? >> i ask unanimous consent to address the house for one minute and to revise and extend. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. >> madam speaker, as a small business owner, i understand firsthand the complications of the government adding additional red tape and additional additional regulations. mr. dold: one clear example of this is the dodd-frank bill. the dodd-frank bill was supposed to impose clear rules and regulations on the financial industry so that another economic disaster could be averted. however, this single piece of legislation has imposed more uncertainty into the marketplace. the bill imposes literally hundreds of new rules and regulations, most of which would have -- which haven't even been written yet. as a result, businesses are not growing and creating jobs. and this is in large part because they don't understand what tomorrow will bring. i did have an opportunity to talk to a smaller bank back in

my district who said we are not growing with the exception of adding people into our compliance department to cross the t's and dot the i's but not a single person was growing to try to get additional liquidity not marketplace. rather than piling on rule after rule we should protect consumers. the last thing we need is another financial disaster. so we should examine the rules and regulations and ensure the right regulations are in place and get america back to work. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from new jersey rise? mr. sires: to address the house for one minute. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. sires: madam speaker, the majority has held 891 votes in this chamber and we still see no plan for job creation. to make matters worse, my colleagues across the aisle have now focused their effort on imposing a tax break for the the middle class. the tax gave american a

much-needed tax cut, reducing taxes for over 160 million american workers. economic uncertainty makes this a dangerous time to eliminate an important tax cut that is saving america's family an average of over $1,000 a year. it will raise taxes on millions of americans, taking over $120 billion out of the pockets of consumers and out of the economy. furthermore, the same time the majority is working to raise taxes on the middle class they're willing to cut off the unemployment insurance that has been keeping millions of americans afloat. madam speaker, let's ensure that the millions of americans enjoy this holiday season and are not worried about rising taxes. and i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from south carolina rise? mr. wilson: madam speaker, i ask permission to address the house for one minute and to revise and extend my remarks. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. wilson: madam speaker, last friday the u.s. bureau of labor statistics announced november's unemployment rate remained above 8%.

over 13 million american families are now without jobs. nearly 25 million people are looking for full-time employment. the number of unemployed americans has not consistently remained at such a high percentage since 1948. for the past 34 months, the american people have been depending on congress and the president to cut washington's wasteful spending and enact policies targeting job creation and economic growth. since the republicans regained the majority of the house in january, legislation has passed that allows small businesses to grow and create jobs. it is past time for the president and liberal-controlled senate to change course, to put our hardworking american families back to work. in conclusion, god bless our troops, we will never forget september 11 and the global war on terrorism as on december 7 we honor the heroes of world war ii. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from new york rise? the gentleman is recognized.

>> mr. speaker, today the united states and canadian governments will announce that beyond the border agreement to ease border trade and travel in this era of heightened security. i support this goal because western new york, our future depends on integrating our economy. with the booming economy of southern ontario by expanding the peace bridge that connects our two communities. the peace bridge is the busiest passenger crossing at the northern border. mr. higgins: passengers using the bridge spend $133 million in western new york annually in support of our retailers, sports franchises, airports, educational and cultural institutions. in western new york peace bridge trade impacts $9.1 billion in business sales, supporting 60,000 local jobs and generating $2.6 billion in household income and $133 million in local tax revenue. all of this economic activity

depends on a peace bridge that is free of congestion, one that is safe, reliable and predictable. i applaud the efforts of this agreement and call on a renewed federal focus on northern border generally and the peace bridge specifically. i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from pennsylvania rise? >> request permission to address the house for one minute. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. >> thank you, madam speaker. for decades the fundamentally flawed medicare physician payment system has created uncertainty and instability, not only in the health care system but in the larger economy. every year physicians face the threat of reimbursement cuts which in turn hinders their ability to provide the necessary care that patients need. the sustainable growth rate formula has constantly called for negative updates to physician payments with the scheduled reductions accumulating year after year but congress has continually delayed the cuts. mr. fitzpatrick: congress has an historic opportunity to implement sound fiscal policy in the medicare program in the

context of broad, economic -- broad economic reforms. i believe we must pursue a fair, efficient and affordable long-term solution to the medicare s.g.r. formula. i'm committed to working with my colleagues to pass commonsense legislation that promotes efficiency, quality and value and ensures access to medical services for medicare beneficiaries. madam speaker, i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentlelady from new york rise? the gentlelady is recognized. >> thank you, madam chair. yesterday i spoke with over 8,000 of my constituents during a telephone town hall to talk about the end of the open enrollment period period for medicare. we also talked about the savings they're now receiving as a result of the closing of the legendary prescription drug doughnut hole. more than 2.5 million medicare recipients across the nation have saved $1.5 billion on their prescription drugs this year

alone. in new york we had 175 medicare recipients, they received a 50% discount on prescription drugs, totaling over $13 million in savings, an average of $650 per family. mr. hoekstra: yesterday's call -- ms. hochul: yesterday's call is rea minder that -- is a remind that are we have to work hard to protect this absolutely critical program that ensures medical care for our seniors and allows them to live their later years in dignity. as my senior told me, medicare is not an entitlement, it's a program we've spent our entire lives paying into and i for one plan to protect it. with that i yield back the balance of my time. thank you. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from pennsylvania rise? >> to address the house for one minute. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. >> madam speaker, i rise to congratulate ed snyder, the owner of the philadelphia fliers hockey club, on being inducted into the united states hockey hall of fame. this is a special occasion, not

only for the city of philadelphia and for the delaware valley as a whole, but for particularly for those who love the game of hockey, myself included. ed's tremendous success with the flyers franchise, winning two stanley cups and reaching the finals six times, contributed to making philadelphia a class a hockey town. mr. meehan: however, the key is that he's really given back to communities. through his organization, the ed snyder youth hockey foundation, he teaches high-risk inner city boys and girls from philadelphia the game of hockey, but it prepares them as well with life skills for success in school and in life as well. hard work, honest effort, teamwork, dedication, solid work ethic are instilled in these children as life lessons and values as part of participation in this program. it's through these lessons that his organization helps our children become good and productive citizens. his cause is significant to our region and to these young children in our area.

congratulations to ed snyder on this recognition. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentlelady from illinois rise? >> seek permission to address the house for one minute. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady is recognized. ms. schakowsky: thank you, madam speaker. i rise today to join thousands of activists participating in the 16-day campaign by speaking out against violence against women. violence against women is a violation of fundamental human rights, it is a global problem of epidemic proportions. one in three women worldwide is beaten, coerced into sex or otherwise abused over the course of her lifetime. that is why i am proud to be working with congressman ted poe to reintroduce the national violence against women act. this important bill would require a comprehensive strategy to prevent and respond to violent -- violence against women and girls internationally. violence against women is not just a humanitarian tragedy, it is a global health menace and a

threat to national security. the united states can play a significant role in protecting the human rights of all women and ending the violence against our sisters around the world. i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from delaware rise? the gentleman is recognized. mr. carnahan: thank you, madam speaker. madam speaker, i rise today to commemorate two very important events in our nation's history that occurred on december 7. as we know today is national pearl harbor remembrance day. mr. carney: repray for the more than 3,500 u.s. soldiers and civilians who were killed or wounded in defense of our nation that day. the sacrifices they made 70 years ago are not unlike the sacrifices that our soldiers and their families are being asked to make today. december 7 is also an important milestone for the founding of our nation. today is delaware day, the 224th anniversary of delaware's

ratification of the united states constitution. making delaware the first state to join the nation. delaware's founding fathers saw the vision and genius of the form of government laid out in our constitution. it is this vision and this document that continues to guide everything we do today. so let us take time today to remember the contributions every generation has made to protect the values and freedoms upon which this great nation was founded. thank you, i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from pennsylvania rise? >> unanimous consent to address the house for one minute, to revise and extend my remarks. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. >> madam speaker, the last time the republicans controlled the house back in 2006 a newspaper columnist called it the seinfeld congress. because like seinfeld, which was a show about nothing, the 109th congress was a congress about nothing. absolutely nothing got done. mr. doyle: now the house republicans have upped the ante. they've got an agenda filled

with seinfeld legislation, a bunch of bills about nothing. tomorrow, for example, we're considering the so-called farm dust bill. now, ignore for the moment that it's more about concrete plants than it is about farms. house republicans want to ban an e.p.a. rule that the e.p.a. administrator has said she has no intention of issuing. why are we wasting time prohibiting a rule that's not being issued when we've got real problems like a struggling economy and millions of people out of work? as seinfeld might say, yada, yada, yada. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from kentucky rise? mr. yarmuth: request permission to address the house for one minute. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. yarmuth: madam speaker, with an average margin of victory of more than 40 points, an undefeated season and a win in the state championship, there can be no more debate.

trinity high school shamrocks are the best high school football team in the country. friday's 62-21 victory over scott county in the final completed a 25-game win streak, a second straight title and capped a season in which trinity didn't just beat the competition, they rocked them. over five playoff games, trinity outscored its foes by more than 240 total points. they never trailed in the second half all season. they crushed top-tier out of state competition and avenged their only 2010 loss. after facing trinity, scott county's coach called the shamrocks the best team in kentucky football history. this was a true team effort and thanks to the leadership and dedication of 40 seniors, these student athletes have achieved a perfect record and deserve -- deserve to bring a national title home to louisville. i ask my colleagues to join me today in congratulating coach baity, the team and the entire trinity community on an incredible championship and an amazing 2011 season.

way to go, rocks. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from rhode island rise? mr. cicilline: unanimous consent to address the house for one minute. madam speaker, we simply cannot leave washington before extending the payroll tax cut and unemployment assistance. with our economy still struggling and unemployment remaining unacceptably high, a 10.4% in my home state of rhode island, now is not the time to take more money out of the pockets of hardworking families. allowing the payroll tax cuts to expire at the end of this month will mean less money in the hands and in the pockets of 600,000 hardworking rhode islanders. it is absolutely critical that we extend the payroll tax cut which is saving working families and average of $1,000 per year and would add $400 million to rhode island's economy next year. we have to do everything we can to strengthen our middle class families who are struggling to make ends meet and provide assistance to those families who need it most.

if congress does not extend emergency unemployment assistance, thousands of rhode islanders as well as millions of americans who rely upon this critical safety net will lose their assistance. this will will have a devastating impact on these families and our economy. rather than providing subsidies to big oil companies and arguing for more tax cuts for millionaires and billionaires, it's time for congress to stand up for american families and to extend the payroll tax cut and unemployment compensation. thank you. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady from -- for what purpose does the gentlelady from minnesota rise? the gentlelady is recognized. column column -- ms. mccollum: my republican colleagues are demanding harmful cuts to working families and seniors, to offset these middle class tax cuts. a better idea is to cut from the

$1 trillion in special interest tax earmarks identified by the bipartisan simpson-bowles commission. let's cut $2 million in ear tax for wooden arrow manufacturers. let's cut $40 million in earmarks for the owners of nascar race car tracks. and let's cut $235 million in earmarks for rum producers in puerto rico and the u.s. virgin islands. these tax earmarks run fair and they're just unaffordable. to the 99% of americans who don't have a lobbyist, sorry, you missed out on this special interest bonanza. congress needs to protect working families, let's pass president obama's middle class payroll tax cut and help our families and our economy now. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from kansas rise? >> to address the house for one minute, revise and extend my remarks. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. >> madam speaker, the american economy is crying out for

certainty. every day the instabilitied by new washington rules, regulations, new taxes, etc., makes it harder for the economy to recover and harder for small businesses to create jobs. that's why today i stand in full support of the restoring congressional authority for major regulations act known as the reins act. mr. yoder: as our federal agencies churn out regulations by the truckload, it's our small businesses, those very entities we expect to create jobs and are struggling to survive, that are burdened with implementing them. in fact, regular lyings cost the economy $1.75 trillion per year, new regulations this year alone will cost business over $60 billion. all driving up the cost of doing business and putting more people out of work. i'm supporting the reins act because this legislation will provide americans with an additional level of accountability when it comes to job-killing regulations from government agencies. madam speaker, it's time we stand up for small business owners and it's time we do all we can to remove the barriers washington's putting in their way. let's come together as congress and let's help america get back

to work again. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentlelady from california rise? mrs. capps: revise and extend my remarks. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady is recognized. mrs. capps: madam speaker, later today the house will vote on the reins act. this is a terrible piece of legislation that will make it next to impossible to protect americans' health or the environment. it would allow either chamber of congress to stop efforts to keep our water and air clean or to protect the public from unsafe food. by simply doing nothing. this bill sets up a congressional approval requirement that is a recipe for more gridlock. it would mean more bureaucracy and more delay, generating uncertainty for businesses and weaker rules to protect consumers. the former republican chairman of the house science committee and one of our most thoughtful former colleagues recently wrote a scathing piece in "the hill" about the reins act. he said the bill would result in, and this is a quote, a virtual shutdown of the system

that would lead the public -- leave the public exposed. madam speaker, the reins act is an outrageous effort to throw out a system that has protected american families and communities for more than 100 years. i urge my colleagues to join me in voting down this irresponsible, this misguided legislation. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from the great state of michigan rise? >> to address the house for one minute. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. >> i rise to oppose nationwide efforts to suppress voter turnout for the 2012 election, including state legislation imposing strict voter i.d. requirements. these irregular lakeses would disproportionately burden seniors, people with disabilities, the poor and minorities. in michigan we have seen aggressive purges of voter rolls which can disenfranchise low-income voters who have moved to a new address. half a million michiganners don't have a driver's license or state i.d. how are they supposed to make their voices heard if they're passed?

mr. peters: let's be clear, these efforts are about one thing and one thing only, silencing voters. american is a beacon of democracy and to limit voter access is hypocritical and wrong. madam speaker, i don't have to tell you about the shameful times in america's history where power and intimidation were used to prevent americans from voting. we must learn from our past, fight voter suppression efforts in the courts, in state legislatures, here in washington and most importantly on election day. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentlelady from hawaii rise? >> to address the house for one minute and to revise and extend my remarks. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady is recognized. le ms. hanabusa: thank you, madam speaker. december 7, 1941, a day which will live in infamy. words of president roosevelt -- i represent peril harbor. on this day, let us not forget the brave people who gave their lives at pearl harbor. on this day let us not forget

this act of unprovoked dastardly aggression which propelled us into a war. on this day let us not forget how the people of this nation were unmatched in their evidence of loyalty and patriotism. let us remember because we need to be that people again to continue our fight to maintain our position as the greatest nation in the world. let us remember because we need to show the compassion to those who are in need on these days. thank you, madam speaker. i yield back the remainder of my time. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from kentucky rise? >> madam speaker, i ask unanimous consent to take from the speaker's table the bill h.r. 2055, making appropriations for military construction, the department of veterans' affairs, and related

agencies for the fiscal year ending september 30, 2012, and for other purposes with the senate amendment thereto, disagree with the senate amendment. the speaker pro tempore: the clerk will report the title of the the clerk: h.r. 2055, an act making appropriations for military construction, the department of veterans affairs, and related answers for the fiscal year ending september 30, 2012, and for other purposes. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, so ordered. for what purpose does the gentleman from washington rise? >> i have a motion to instruct at the desk. the speaker pro tempore: the clerk will report the motion. the clerk: mr. dicks of washington moves that the managers on the part of the house on the disagreeing votes of the two houses on the snament amendment to the bill h.r. 2055 be instructed to receive to the senate on the higher level of funding for the department of veterans affairs, medical and prosthetics research account.

the speaker pro tempore: pursuant to clause 7 of rule 22, the gentleman from washington, mr. dicks, and the gentleman from kentucky, mr. rogers, will each control 30 minutes. the chair recognizes the gentleman from washington. mr. dicks: madam speaker, i ask unanimous consent that all members may have five legislative days to revise and extend their remarks on the motion to instruct. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. mr. dicks: yield myself. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. dicks: madam speaker, the motion instructs conferees to provide the highest level of funding for medical and prosthetic research. this program helps the department of veterans affairs develop cutting edge treatments for veterans and their families. it is fully integrated throughout the medical community through partnerships with academic affiliates, nonprofits and commercial entities as well as other federal agencies. it is unique because both the clinical care and research occurred together.

the medical and prosthetic research program plays a vital role in advancing the health and care of our nation's veterans. some of the areas that the medical and prosthetic research program focus on include mental health research, prosthetics, traumatic brain injury and posttraumatic stress disorder, ptsd. the program has emphasized efforts to improve the understanding and treatment of veterans in need of mental health care. we hear a lot about the casualties of war and soldiers who have sacrificed their lives and duty. however, over the past few years, the v.a. has begun to examine the psychological wounds of posttraumatic stress disorder. it will provide fund forg the v.a. to care for -- funding for the v.a. to care for veterans

who suffer from anxiety and substance abuse. prosthetic research in the house reported bill was inadequate. and during floor consideration, the house majority agreed to increase funding by $22 million. while i was pleased to see this increase, i believe we need to do more. the senate-passed bill funds this bill at the f.y. 2011 level, enacted level which is $51 million higher than the house-passed level. i believe the higher funding level should be maintained because of the impact this research can have on the everyday life of our nation's veterans. this nation must get its fiscal house in order. however, even in our -- in our austere budget we need to make room to fully fund our priorities. the medical and prosthetic research program is a high priority. i'm sure all our colleagues agree, we can never repay

america's veterans for the sacrifice they made for our country. as a first installment, we should make a substantial investment in health care research for our veterans, and i urge a yes vote on the motion to instruct, and i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from washington reserves his time. the gentleman from kentucky. mr. roger: madam speaker, i yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. rogers: the motion to instruct is not necessary. it would urge adoption of the senate-passed level for v.a. medical research which is $50 million above the house-passed level. we all support our veterans, and honor their service and sacrifice and we support the important research and work the v.a. is doing for our veterans in fields such as traumatic brain injury and posttraumatic stress disorder. and we provided a robust level

of funding for this research in the house-passed vergs of the bill. at a -- version of the bill. at a time when our overall funding targets were constrained. in fact, the house bill provided a total of $531 million for v.a. medical research, an increase of $22 million above what the white house and the v.a. requested. in addition, the v.a. still has $71 million in unobligated research funding left over from previous years. that could be put to use. so even without the increase, the program level would still be well above the 2011 level. we all agree that medical research at the v.a. is undeniably important, and we want to do the best that we can for veterans, particularly those in need of medical assistance. on that there's no difference between the ranking minority

member and myself and between the members of the subcommittee. i could reassure the members that we will work with our house and nat colleagues to determine the -- senate colleagues to determine the appropriate level for v.a. research to continue to support and honor the service of our veterans. while this motion is not necessary, i understand and agree with its intent, and i will work with the ranking member and with reservations i will accept the motion at this time. i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves the balance of his time. the gentleman from washington. mr. dicks: i would ask for a vote on my motion to instruct. i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. the gentleman from kentucky. mr. rogers: i yield back the balance. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from kentucky yields back. all time yielded back and without objection the previous question is ordered. the question is on the motion to instruct. all those in favor say aye.

those opposed, no. in the opinion of the chair, the ayes have it. and the motion is agreed to. the gentleman from washington. mr. dicks: i ask for a recorded vote. the speaker pro tempore: does the gentleman ask for the yeas and nays? mr. dicks: i ask for the yeas and nays. the speaker pro tempore: the yeas and nays are requested. all those in favor of taking this vote by the yeas and nays. -- yeas and nays will rise. a sufficient number having arisen, the yeas and nays are ordered. pursuant to clause 8 of rule 20, further proceedings on the question will be postponed.

the speaker pro tempore: the clerk will report the title. the clerk: h. rrment 1540, an act to authorize appropriations for fiscal year 2011 for military activities of the department of defense for military construction and for defense activities of the department of energy to describe military personnel strengths for such fiscal year and for other purposes. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, so ordered. for what purpose does the gentleman from washington rise? >> i have a motion to instruct at the desk. the speaker pro tempore: the

clerk will report the. the clerk: mr. smith of washington moves that managers on the part of the house at the conference on the disagreeing votes of the two houses on the senate amendment to the bill h.r. 1540 be instructed to insist on the amendments contained in subtitle 1 of title 5 of the house bill, sections 581 through 587 relating to improved sexual assault prevention and response in the armed forces. the speaker pro tempore: pursuant to clause 7 of rule 22, the gentleman from washington, mr. smith, and the gentleman from california, mr. mckeon, will each control 30 minutes. the chair now recognizes the gentleman from washington. mr. smith: thank you, madam speaker. i yield myself as much time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. smith: this is a very important provision of the house bill dealing with better combating sexual assault within the military. this is a significant problem that has been documented by many studies and many media reports. i want to particularly congratulate members of my committee, ms. sanchez, mrs. tsongas, mrs. susan davis, who have take an leadership role in

this, to try to implement policies to control sexual assault within the military. the pro visions that we've put together in the house help move us forward towards addressing that issue, make sure that it takes on the importance that it deserves and empower the military to make the decisions they need to better protect against sexual assault within the military. i particularly applaud mrs. sonkas, this is her motion to stick to the house provisions in this area. i urge the conference committee to do that going forward and with that i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from washington reserves the balance of his time. the gentleman from california. mr. mckeon: i reserve our time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves. the gentleman from washington. mr. smith: thank you, madam speaker. i yield two minutes to the gentlelady from new york, ms. slaughter. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady from new york is recognized for two minutes. ms. slaughter: i thank the gentleman for yielding and, madam speaker, good morning. afternoon, i guess it is. sexual assault in the military continues to be a serious problem. it impacts thousands of service women and men each year. while i am pleased with a recent

improvements made by the department of defense, there remains much more to be done. it is vital that we do all we can to protect the men and women of the military who protect us. i'm very pleased that both the house and the senate passed language improving the military's response to sexual assault and their respective versions of the national defense authorization act. earlier this week i sent a letter along with representative turner and 45 colleagues to the house and senate armed services committees asking them to strongly consider the house-passed provisions dealing with military sexual assault. the language contained in the house version makes necessary improvements to protect our service women and men. specifically the house passed language strengthens the rights of sexual assault victims by clarifying victim access to legal counsel. and record maintenance and

kfality which are important. also station transfer when a service member has been victimized. imagine being a victim of rape which one young soldier told me about at a hearing, while serving in the military and every morning she had to absolute her rapist -- rapist. that's why the members of our armed forces will continue to experience if we don't do something to change that situation. the house passed language also stresses the need for the ndaa to include comprehensive training and education programs for sexual assault prevention within the department of defense. the senate version does not include this protection which is part of h.r. 1709, the force protection and readiness act which i introduced earlier this year. i'm pleased this motion to instruct conferees recognizes the importance of this issue and i ask the conferees to seriously consider including the strongest

possible language to prevent and appropriately respond to incidents of sexual assault in the military and i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady yields back. the gentleman from california. the gentleman from california. mr. mckeon: continue to reserve. the speaker pro tempore: continues to reserve. the gentleman from washington. mr. smith: thank you, madam speaker. at this point i yield the balance of my time to mrs. sonkas of mass. she will -- ms. tsongas of massachusetts. she will control the time from this point forward. i yield the balance of our time to ms. tsongas and she can yield as she wants. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. the gentlelady from massachusetts will control the balance of the time. ms. tsongas: thank you, madam speaker. and i yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady is recognized. ms. tsongas: while one in six women will experience sexual assault in her lifetime, as many as one in three women leaving military service report that

they have experienced some form of military sexual trauma. by the pentagon's own estimate, 13.5% of sexual assaults are reported. additionally while 40% of sexual assault allegations in the civilian world are prosecuted, this number is a staggeringly low 8% in the military. the military has been slow to take the appropriate actions necessary to protect victims of sexual assault. for example, rape victims still do not yet have the right to a unit or duty location transfer following an assault. this means victims of sexual assault are often forced to live and work alongside their perpetrator, facing repeated stress and trauma due to the constant contact they may have with an assailant that is part of their unit. as unbelievable as it sounds, this is exactly what happened to marine lance corporal maria

lauderback who accused her assailant of rape and then spent the next eight months exposed to the accused rapist who later murdered her and buried her with the body of her unborn son in his backyard. although these events happened in 2007, the department of defense has not adopted provisions that would allow victims to escape constant contact with their assailants. we ask men and women who serve in the military to put their lives on the line for our country and they shouldn't fear harm from their fellow service members. we simply must do more to protect them. in may this house passed h.r. 1540 which included strong bipartisan provisions that would allow victims of sexual assault the right to transfer units, the right to counsel, the right to privileged communications between a victim and a victim advocate and the right to get records of their sexual assault so they can be eligible for

veterans benefits. these provisions came from a bipartisan bill that i introduced with mr. turner of ohio. our language stipulates that confidential communications cannot be used by the defense attorney against the victim during corporate proceedings and they remain truly confidential. these provisions will encourage more victims to come forward and get the help they need to heal land encourage more victims to participate in the legal process of prosecuting perpetrators of sexual assault. both of which are critical to maintaining readiness and unit cohesion in the military. these provisions also establish full-time sexual assault response coordinators and victim advocates, ensure they are well trained for the job and able to properly serve victims of sexual assault. the 2009 defense task force report on sexual assault in the military services found that current victim advocates and sexual assault response

coordinators are unprepared for the duties of the position. in the words of a current unit victim advocate, quote, i would truly be unprepared if a sexual assault were to occur in my service -- and my services were needed. it is my opinion that active duty victim advocates are not prepared to deal with sexual assaults and could potentially deter individuals from coming forward. having full-time would extensive training and certification will ensure that they are truly a valuable resource to their unit and to victims who come forward. this language also improves the retention of sexual assault records and guarantees that victims of sexual assault will have lifetime access to these records for a variety of purposes. such as being considered for veterans benefits and given priority consideration for counseling at veterans affairs. currently survivors of sexual assault have to jump through multiple bureaucratic hurdles to prove that their symptoms are connected to an incident of sexual assault in the military

in order to be prioritized for mental health counseling or be eligible for benefits. service members find it difficult to obtain documentation proving their sexual assault once they have left the services because many of these documents are destroyed at d.o.d. after only a few years. this language ensures that the documents are maintained. this language also requires d.o.d. to prepare a record of all court proceedings in way charge of sexual assault is adjudicated and provide a copy to the victim. because victims of sexual assault serve as a witness rather than an active participant in trials where their case isly the gaded -- litigated, they often do not understand the outcome of their case. these records are prepared where convictions result but when charges are dismissed or when a perpetrator is found innocent the victim has no reliable way to understand what happened and why his or her case was dismissed. making sure victims understand the outcome of their case is

important to providing closure for victims and making sure they are an active, respected participant in the legal process. it will help to alleviate much of the mistrust that service members and victims of sexual assault in the military harbor when it comes to how a sexual assault case will be handled if they make a report. similar provisions were included in the senate's version of the defense authorization but these provisions do not clearly spell out a victim's right to counsel and do not provide for a comprehensive education and training program. yesterday a bipartisan group of 47 members led by ms. slaughter and mr. turner sent a letter to the chairman and ranking member of both the house and armed services committee in support of the house's language. this motion simply eninstruct -- instructs our conferee tennis sift on the house language -- to insist on the house language, language that will protect our service women. i urge my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to support the motion to instruct

conferees. with that, madam speaker, i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady reserves her time. the gentleman from california. mr. mckeon: we continue to reserve. the speaker pro tempore: continues to reserve. mr. mckeon: do they have further speakers? do you have further speakers? the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady from massachusetts. ms. tsongas: i do. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady from massachusetts. ms. tsongas: madam speaker, i'm pleased to yield two minutes to the gentlewoman from california who has taken such an interest in this very grave issue and played an important leadership role. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady from california is recognized for two minutes. >> thank you to ms. tsongas and thanks to the ranking member, mr. smith, for bringing this motion. i thank you, madam speaker, for the opportunity to say a few words here. this is a cancer that is eating up our military and for 25 years we have debated and discussed we have debated and discussed and reported on it and yet the