he was conducting a border patrol tactical unit operation in the area of pack wells near rio rico, arizona, about 25 miles north of nogales, arizona. they spotted a group group of individuals approaching their position. they found that the suspects were preying on illegal immigrants with the intent to rob them. shortly thereafter, an encouldn'ter ensued and gunfire was exchanged that left agent terry mortally wounded by a bullet fired from a suspect's ak-47 he passed away the following day this legislation honors the ultimate sacrifice of agent terry while he bravely protected the nation's borders. i support passage of the legislation and urge my colleagues to do the same. the speaker pro tempore: does the gentleman reserve? mr. denham: i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman.

mr. cummings: this honors the life and sacrifice of u.s. borter patrol agent brian terry and i applaud mr. issa for his leadership on this. one year ago this wednesday on december 14, 2010, as on so many previous nights, agent terry and his agents were defending this country. tragically that night he died in the line of duty from injuries sustained in a gun fight. he upheld his oath to defend our country. he was only 40 years old and was days away from taking the trip back home to michigan for the christmas holiday. even before he joined the united states customs and border protection as a border patrol agent, agent terry displayed an exemplary record of public service. he joined the united states marine corps upon his graduation from high school and served a tour of duty in iraq. he was honorably discharged in

1994. upon completing his military service, he returned home to michigan and completed a bachelor of science degree in criminal justice. he then served as a police officer in lincoln park, michigan. in 2007 he joined the united states customs and border protection and became a member of the elite border patrol tactical unit. this unit responds to some of the most dangerous threats against our nation's homeland which perfectly suited his courage, patriotism. he was stationed in know galles border pa -- nogales border pa trotion station in arizona. he took great pride in serving and defending his country. he worked tirelessly day after day. confronting danger along the southwest border. those who knew him sdwribed him as a strong, handsome,

corageous, funny and incredibly patriotic america who's also proud to serve as a federal law enforcement agent. i met agent terry's family and i support the ongoing efforts to seek answers for them. others at the f.b.i. and the u.s. attorney's office are working to bring his killers to justice. i join with the chairman of the oversight committee, chairman issa, in urging that the house adopt h.r. 2668, the brian terry -- a. terry memorial act which recognizes his life and service and names in his honor a border patrol station in busy bee, arizona. i -- in bisbee, arizona. i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from california. mr. denham: i yield to the chairman, mr. issa. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. issa: brian terry was in fact a special human being who dedicated his life to public

service. first in the united states marine corps, then, in local law enforcement, then, at the border patrol. his ambition, his only ambition was to be a federal law enforcement servant. he left behind a family asking a great many questions because just 10 days before christmas a year ago he was gunned down. in fact, we still don't have all the answers. the ranking member, mr. cummings, and i continue to look for those answers. we learned only last week that there is an indictment in connection with his killing. we look forward to the terry family having full and complete resolution of all the details around his death. but for all the ambiguity that often happens in the heat of a battle that happens in law enforcement, there's no question about who brian terry was, what a special human being he was, and why for the only the second time in border patrol history will a facility be named for one of their

fallen heroes. it was decades after the last fallen heroes before a facility not even envisioned at the time was named for them. in this case we believe this is appropriate to do now. this was someone who knew the risk and he went willingly in to the highest risk down on our border. here in congress we often have a lively debate about the border and border enforcement. brian terry didn't debate border enforcement. he knew his job was to see that no one got past the border that wasn't supposed to. and whether it was human traffickers, whether it was drug smugglers, whether they had high-powered rifles or they were simply crossing the border illegally, he made sure that our borders were safe. this act is hugely bipartisan at a time when congress is not

so bipartisan. it is so because we know that the men and women of the border patrol, the men and women who support and protect one of the most basic aspects of national sovereignty, do so without looking at politics. they don't make the laws. they don't decide who gets to come to our country or not. they enforce them and they enforce them in a way that we all can respect. our committee has an obligation to look into and to get the details of the loss, the unnecessary loss of his life. but i want to thank today chairman mica and mr. denham and certainly ranking member rahall for moving this historic piece of legislation, one that brings an honor seldom, only once before, ever given to a border patrol and customs agent to this one at the very facility where if he were still alive he would have returned after that christmas back home in michigan to his friends, his

colleagues, the people whose flank he protected. he didn't get that opportunity to go home for christmas. he didn't get to serve out his years with his friends and colleagues, and for that the family has our undying gratitude for his sacrifice and our apologies and our condolences for the loss. today, we're doing one of the few things we can do and that is to honor on the house floor a fallen hero, a man who didn't fall in iraq but did fall on the arizona border. with that i want to thank mr. denham for bringing this here in a timely fashion. i want to thank the speaker for ensuring that this becomes law. and with that i yield back the balance of my time. mr. denham: mr. speaker, i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman, mr. denham, reserves. mr. cummings: i yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. cummings: mr. speaker, we have no further speakers but i will say that it is so

important that we pause for a moment to honor people like officer terry. so often our officers, various officers throughout the federal system, go out expecting to come home to their families and unfortunately do not come home. and it is so very, very sad, and we spent quite a bit of time, mr. issa and i, in talking with the family and trying to console them. but i think the thing they want more than anything else right now is answers. i, again, join him in a bipartisan way and our entire committee to find those answers because i think it's so very, very important. as i've said many times, i shall not rest until we do find those answers. and with that, mr. speaker, i urge all of our mubs to vote for -- members to vote for this historic piece of legislation and i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back the

balance of his time. the gentleman from california, mr. denham, is recognized. mr. denham: mr. speaker, i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from california yields back the balance of his time. the question is will the house suspend the rules and pass h.r. 2668. those in favor say aye. those opposed, no. in the opinion of the chair, 2/3 having responded in the affirmative, the rules are suspended, the bill is passed -- mr. cummings: mr. speaker. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from maryland. mr. cummings: i object to the vote on the grounds that a quorum is not present and i make a point of order that a quorum is not present. the speaker pro tempore: pursuant to clause 8 of rule 20, further proceedings on the question will be postponed.

the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from pennsylvania seek recognition? >> mr. speaker, i move to suspend the rules and pass the bill h.r. 2845, the pipeline safety, regulatory certainty and job creation act of 2011. the speaker pro tempore: the clerk will report the title of the bill. the clerk: union calendar number 197, h.r. 2845, a bill to amend title 49, united states code, to provide for enhanced safety and environmental protection in pipeline transportation, to provide for enhanced reliability in the transportation of the nation's energy products by pipeline, and for other purposes. the speaker pro tempore: pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from pennsylvania, mr. shuster, and the gentleman from washington, mr. larson, each will control 20 minutes. the chair recognizes the gentleman from pennsylvania. mr. shuster: i thank the speaker and i ask unanimous consent that all members may have five legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous materials on h.r. 2845.

the speaker pro tempore: without objection, the gentleman is recognized. mr. shuster: thank you, mr. speaker. i yield myself such time as i may consume. this important legislation improves safety, enhances reliability and provides the regulatory certainty necessary to create jobs. i'm very proud of the work that has gone into this bill, both across the aisle and between the committees. this legislation represents a bipartisan and bicam rell agreement reached by the house two committees. it is supported by both pipeline industry and key safety advocates. the united states has the largest network of energy pipelines in the world, and pipelines are the energy lifelines that power nearly all of our daily activities. the hallmark of america's 2.5 million pipeline network continues to deliver strong product reliably, efficiently

and economically. it is the most cost-effective means to transport the natural gas and hazardous liquid products that fuel our economy. since is the 86 the volume of energy products that's transferred through pipeline has increased by 1/3. while the data shows that federal pipeline safety programs have been on the right track, recent pipeline incidents suggest there continues to be room for improvement. h.r. 2845 builds on our strong commitment to improve safety and enhance reliabilities to the transportation of our nation's energy products by pipeline. specifically, the legislation re-authorizes the federal pipeline safety programs of the pipeline and hazardous materials safety administration through f.y. 2015. it improves pipeline transportation by strengthening enforcement of our current laws and strengthens gaps where necessary. it provides the regulatory certainty necessary for pipeline owners and operators to plan infrastructure

investments and create jobs. it ensures sensible and practical regulatory approach toward safety that applies cost benefit principles. protects and preserves congressional authority, keeping regulators on a tight leash by ensuring certain key rule makings are not finalized until congress acts. it addresses the national transportation safety board with the balanced and reasonable responses including addressing the incidents in california, michigan, montana and pennsylvania. there are a few key priority issues i want to highlight in this legislation. during my time in congress, i've been disappointed to see the executive branch and unelected bureaucrats attempt to take more and more control and decisionmaking authority from congress. these actions harm congress as an institution and makes our government further and further removed from the american people. in this bill when we call for substantial changes to the federal pipeline program, we

ask the administration to take specific factors, take cost and benefits and asks congress to help change them. this approach preserves congressional authority and will keep regulators from overreaching. another issue i've highlighted on the floor in the past is damage prevention which is the leading cause of pipeline incidents. our legislation improves pipeline damage prevention and cracks down on third party pipeline damages by eliminating unnecessary exemptions. at this time i'd like to urge everybody to call before you dig and dial 811 which is an extremely important part of this program in preventing third party damages in this country. in field hearings leading up to the drafting of this legislation, my colleague from pennsylvania, jim gerlach, suggested ways in which we can use state and local government personnel as force multipliers to supplement federal pipeline safety inspectors. we have built on this idea and in this bill we included a

provision that will allow femmesa to allow training and to establish regional training centers paid for by the pipeline industry at no cost to the federal government. there is great interest in this approach to my home state -- in my home state of pennsylvania. and i will be following the implementation of this provision. pipeline permitting issues was not included in the final bill. we have big issues with the army corps of engineers in pennsylvania in the permitting of pipelines. the corps is encroaching on the pennsylvania department of environmental protection and led to increases in timelines with projects with limited environmental impacts. my colleague from west virginia, mr. rahall, has experienced similar issues in his home state and all related to the marcellus shale gas. in the interest of compromise and moving this legislation forward, i was willing to withdraw my language and settle on a study on this critical issue and i'll continue to monitor this issue closely in pennsylvania and across the united states.

. i'm proud of this bill that the chairman and subcommittee ranking member and the staff that have put in on both sides of the aisle. there were countless hours put in. i thank the energy and commerce committee, chairman upton and ranking member waxman. this will keep in place regulatory measures that are in place and making adjustments. oy would urge all my colleagues to support this important legislation that increases safety and creates jobs. with that, i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: will the gentleman from pennsylvania is whether his motion to suspend the rules and pass the bill as amended. mr. shuster: as amended. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from washington is recognized. mr. larsen: i rise in support of h.r. 2845 pipeline safety

regulatory safety and job creation act. this is to deliver gasoline, natural gas, oil and essential energy products across the country. pipelines play a vital role, cooking and cleaning, commuting, all are made possible by the fouls delivered to pipelines daily. because of the volatile nature of the product, snepts involving gas and hazardous have had consequences. in 1999 a explosion caused release of gasoline that went through a creek in my district. the gasoline ignited and took the lives of two 10-year-old boys. eight additional injuries occurred, a single residence in

the water treatment plant. wildlife was completely destroyed. this will tragedy inspired the 2002 pipeline safety improvement act. it increased fines, and improved testing guidelines and allowed for state oversight for pipeline safety nfment 2006, congress authorized the 2002 law by passing the pipeline protection and safety enforcement act. these made laws stronger and construction of pipelines better and existing infrastructure safer. while significant progress has been made in improving the safety of our pipelines we must remain vigilant. in july of 2010, a pipeline ruptured and released oil into a creek located in marshal, michigan. heavy rains caused the river to overtop and carried oils down

the river towards a superfund site. it is still cleaning up the spill along the river banks. a few months after, in september of 2010, interstate transmission pipeline owned by pacific gas and electric company ruptured in california. the release of natural gas ignited and destroyed 38 homes and damaged 70 others. eight people were killed. many were injured. many more were evacuated. the legislation that we are considering today eas many concerns that were raised. for example, following the incident in bellingham, washington, the investigators found the olympic pipeline had no shutoff valves on the line that could have prevented the spill of thousands of gallons of gasoline. they ordered them to install an automatic shutoff valve and it

would be limited in the event of a pipeline rupture. h.r. 2885 requires operators to install automatic shutoff valves on new and replaced pipelines. the bill doubles civil penalties for safety violations from $100,000 to $200,000 and from $1 million to $2 million maximum penalties. and there are regulations to expand areas to establish performance standards for leak detection systems and require operators to install leak detection systems that meet such performance standards. requires pipeline operators to report to d.o.t. any time their facilities exceed allowable pressure and conduct tests on

pipelines in high concentration areas and increases the level of safety inspectors by 10 and assistance grants that are awarded to local communities. h.r. 2845 is a step in the right direction when it comes to pipeline safety. this bill is supported by industry and supported by pipeline safety community groups. i want to thank the chairman and all the committee members for working on this legislation. i want to sthanching the executive director of the pipeline safety trust which formed out of the 1999 pipeline explosion as well for his continued commitment to these issues. i urge members to support this bill and i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves the balance of his time. the gentleman from pennsylvania is recognized. mr. shuster: at this time, woy yield three minutes to the distinguished chairman of the energy and commerce committee, mr. up ton.

the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. up up i rise in support to the -- mr. upton: i rise in support to h.r. 2845. enacting pipeline safety this year has been a personal priority of mine and a top priority of the entire energy and commerce committee on a very strong bipartisan basis. this legislation is a product of collaboration between our committee, energy and commerce, committee on transportation and infrastructure and senate committee on commerce and reflects consensus across party lines. with it, we made great strides to ensure our nation's energy supplies are transported in a safe manner as possible. over the last couple of years, several major pipeline accidents have revealed specific gaps in pipeline safety laws and regulations. it's our duty in congress to look at these events and determine what we can do to

better protect the public and the environment. among the accidents, within 20,000 barrel pipeline spill just outside of my district. the spill forced dozens of families out of their homes, caused environmental damage to a waterway that residents enjoy for fishing and ca knewing. september, 2010, gas pipeline explosion in california destroyed 17 homes. another gas explosion in allentown, pennsylvania, killed five. and the yellowstone river ruptured and sent over 1,000 barrels of crude oil downstream. these snepts highlighted shortcomings in our nation's safety laws and today, we are here to correct that. the legislation today offers

historic improvement to the manner in which the federal government regulates energy pipelines. it accomplishes this by strengthening standards in several areas while maintaining the continued economical delivery of energy supplies. for these reasons this bill enjoys the support from stake holders from the pipeline safety trust, to the american gas association, the interstate pipeline association. and the association of oil pipelines. the bill is months long in the making and could not have been accomplished without the hard work and dedication of a bipartisan group of members. it's a topic many of us take very seriously as it affected us and our constituents on a personal level. and today, we can say party affiliation and politics have taken a back seat to accomplishing the people's work and i offer my congratulations to the chairman who is on the floor tonight, john dingell,

ranking member of the committee, mr. waxman. chairman of the transportation committee, john mica and chairman bill shuster. i urge all my members to support this legislation and i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from washington is recognized. mr. larsen: i yield to the gentleman from california, three minutes. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized for three minutes. mr. waxman: during the last year and a and-a-half a series of tragic failures has made it clear that we need stronger laws. pipeline failures have occurred across the country from california and montana to michigan and pennsylvania. we have seen natural gas pipeline explosions and ruptured oil pipelines spilling oil into rivers. in july of 2010, a crude oil pipeline ruptured near marshal, michigan and flowed into the

river. the river is still being cleaned up in. september of 2010, the natural gas pipeline ruptured and exploded, eight people died, many more were injured. the gas-fed inferno spread from house to house. 38 homes were destroyed and 70 more were damaged. the explosion left behind a suburban street with a massive crater and burned out vehicles. the vice chairman of the national transportation safety board described it as an amazing scene of destruction. this past summer, exxon mobil pipeline ruptured in montana spilling crude oil into the yellowstone river. those are a few of the major accidents we have seen during the past 18 months. this bill will strengthen our laws in the aftermath of these tragedies in response to the michigan spill, this bill

requires operators to notify the safety agency of spills more quickly and establishes a process for leak detection standards to be issued for oil pipelines. in response to the san brune' tragedy, this bill requires key natural gas pipelines to have the maximum safe operating pressure confirmed through testing and structs the safety agency to require the use of automatic shutoff valves so it doesn't take an hour and a half to stop the flow of gas like it did in san bruno. i acknowledge the work of my california colleague who fought for a strong response to san bruno and this bill has been made a better bill by her contributions. and in light of the yellowstone river bill, the bill requires the agency to review its regulations governing the safety of pipeline buried under rivers

to ensure they are adequate. it has improvements to strengthen our pipeline safety laws. this is a good bipartisan bill that has the support of both industry and safety advocates, energy and commerce committee, the transportation and infrastructure committee worked hard to develop a combined bill that would have broad support. i thank chairman upton and others for their hard work on thr legislation. i encourage all of my colleagues to support this bipartisan legislation. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman's time has expired. the gentleman from pennsylvania is recognized. mr. shuster: at this time, i would like to note in the legislation, section 6 of h.r. 2845 includes a requirement that the secretary of transportation provide a person upon written request a copy of the pipeline company's response plan. i think it's important to note and point out to my colleague

that these plans often contain security-sensitive information about pipelines' operating characteristics. if it fell in the wrong hands, it could be a threat to public safety. in recognition of this threat, we included a provision that directs the secretary to redact sensitive-security information. it is my hope that no information is released to the public and the transportation infrastructure committee will aggressively oversee the implementation of this provision to ensure that it is being implemented according to congressional intent. and i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves the balance of his time. the gentleman from washington. mr. larsen: i yield three minutes to the gentleman from michigan, dean of the house. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from michigan is recognized for three minutes. mr. dingell: i thank you for recognition and i thank my good friend for yielding. i rise in support of h.r. 2845.

this is a bipartisan bill, somewhat a rarity and more welcomed for ta reason. it will instill public confidence in our nation's pipeline safety system by increasing safety standards without overly burdensome actions towards industry. the legislation shows that bipartisanship is possible in this congress and that we can conduct the business of the american people if we will but sit down and work together. i thank chairman upton and ranking member waxman for their hard work and i thank jeff and garrett of the committee staff for their hard work as well as greg in my personal staff who worked with great diligence and skill. chairman mica and chairman shuster and ranking member rahall and mr. rush deserve recognition for their hard work as the two committees worked together to forge an geement on the final product we have before

us today. this inclusive process used in this case is an splent model of how congress should move forward on a host of other issues and i hope it is accepted by my colleagues. recent accidents in california, pennsylvania, montana and my home state of michigan, each highlighted serious deficiencies in our pipeline safety laws. h.r. 2845 incorporates the lessons learned in these incidents and strengthens law in the areas of concern. . it improves inspections while phasing out location requirements, therefore, putting stronger safety standards in place while taking steps to remove redundant regulations. the leak detection automatic shutoff or remote control shutoff valve, the maximum alibel preferentials are the

step in the right direction and will do much mo improve safety. pipeline safety is not a partisan issue but rather is something that impacts all americans. we have an obligation to protect the american people and the environment from harm while maintaining a system that transports our energy resources efficiently. it's my hope that the senate will take up this legislation promptly and that the obama administration will implement these changes in a meaningful way. we will all be watching to make sure that this happens. together we've come up with a sound piece of legislation which has support of both industry and safety advocates, and i urge my colleagues to support this legislation. i would also like to observe when one of these things lets go it's quite an event. you will see something that looks a little bit like hell with the fire and flame and explosion and blast and dead people and scorched

automobiles, homes and the environment. i am delighted to see we are doing this because we are protecting us both from gas and from oil spills from this and the evil consequences of that. i yield back the balance of my time and i thank you, mr. speaker. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. the gentleman from pennsylvania is recognized. mr. shuster: mr. speaker, i understand that the other side has two -- has two more speakers and a close. mr. larsen: we have two more speakers and a close. mr. shuster: i'll continue to reserve. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves the balance of his time. the gentleman from washington. mr. larsen: i yield three minutes to the gentleman from illinois, mr. rush. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from illinois is recognized for three minutes. mr. rush: i want to thank you, mr. speaker, for yielding me time and i want to thank mr. larsen from washington state for recognizing me and sharing the time with me. mr. speaker, i am here to express my full support for this bill, h.r. 2845, the

pipeline safety, regulatory certainty and job creation act of 2011. mr. speaker, this bill represents a bipartisan effort and a good faith compromise by members from both sides of the aisle, from multiple committees, and, of course, both chambers of the congress. during negotiations on the final bill language, i was very fortunate to have administrator cynthia quarterman of the pipeline and hazardous safety materials agency to accept my invitation to come out to my state and to discuss pipeline safety with representatives from the illinois commerce committee as well as with officials from william county which has larger percentage of pipelines than any other county

in my home state. mr. speaker, many of the same serious issues regarding pipeline safety that when discussed in these meetings are addressed in this piece of legislation, and i am very pleased with the final product. mr. speaker, i also would like to thank members on both sides of the aisle -- chairman emeritus of the full committee and dean of the house, john dingell, energy and commerce chairman upton and ranking member waxman as well as the energy and power subcommittee, chairman whitfield, for working with my office to include language that will require a comprehensive report examining the levels of engagement, a minority owned, women-owned

business enterprises and contracting involved in construction and the operation of pipelines in this country. additionally, this report will look at the method for facilitating this type of involvement in order to increase the participation of minorities and women in the very lucrative pipeline industry. this study will be a step in the process to make sure that the builders, the contractors in charge of rebuilding america's aging and expanding pipeline system will represent the variety of groups and businesses that are here in our nation, including those who are more desperate for jobs and economic opportunity. i urge all my colleagues to join with me in voting for it. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman's time has expired. the gentleman from pennsylvania

is recognized. mr. shuster: at this time i yield eight minutes to the distinguished chairman of the transportation and infrastructure committee, mr. mica. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from florida is recognized for eight minutes. mr. mica: thank you, mr. chairman, the gentleman from pennsylvania, i thank him for his leadership and helping to guide this legislation and important measure through congress. i want to take this opportunity to thank folks on both sides of the aisle, mr. upton, who chairs the energy and commerce committee, particularly thank ms. brown, mr. rahall. also, mr. waxman. and then, of course, others who've helped on the senate side. this legislation is being done really the way congress is intended to work, to try to reach a bicam rell, bipartisan

consen -- bicameral, bipartisan consensus. this is not an easy legislation to pass. this is a very important piece of legislation for the american people as far as our energy resources and transporting them safely across the land, as far as an industry that's so important to creating jobs and opportunity and keeping the cost of energy down for men and women, consumers and people who are hit by difficult times right now looking for reasonable energy costs and keeping the u.s. competitive and providing reasonably cost energy and transporting it safely. this is probably one of the four main jobs bills, too, that we will pass from our committee. we have today the pipeline

safety legislation. our committee has also passed the coast guard authorization and hoping we can reach a consensus on that. we have finished and and pre-- with the senate the f.a.a. bill which is over 4 1/2 years overdue. we inherited that 4 1/2 years late. we are basically finished. a few items that must be resolved by leadership and then finally time did not allow us to finish major transportation, sometime referred to as the highway bill, but this will be more than a highway bill. we plan to have that up as soon as we return. so those are our four major pieces of legislation, and this represents, again, a concerted effort by a number of key players in dual committees in

both the house and senate. what's important about this, this legislation does make some changes. you heard from members who've had horrendous pipeline incidents in their communities and their states and people have lost their lives. there's been extreme property damage, and we have also impacted in a negative fashion the environment. and what we do here in this legislation are some simple things. first, we enhance the inspections. we set standards that better inspections for pipelines. we hold pipeline operators accountable, and that's important. people must be responsible for their actions, and we double the fines if there is negligence, there will be

penalty to pay because damage has incurred and, again, we have seen some of the bad results. what we hope for is good results from this, again, we can keep energy flowing and provide for consumers. that's good news for consumers. it's good news for the industry at a time when we should be hiring and employing people in this important energy activity. and it's good news for, again, safe transport and safe jobs in an important industry in our country. so i'm pleased that we've come together. we have i think achieved and set an example for the congress when congress' reputation is, oh, very low. that's giving us a high mark,

and when people express their disappointment and inability of congress to act we are acting. because this is being resolved without conflict and without, again, huge disruption in the congressional process, it probably won't get much attention. but it is in fact, it is indeed a very important step forward and i'm grateful for all those that have came together and worked and made this an example of how congress can and should work for the benefit of the american people. i'm pleased to yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. the gentleman from pennsylvania reserves. the gentleman from washington is recognized. mr. larsen: mr. speaker, i yield three minutes to the gentlewoman from california. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady from california is recognized for three minutes. >> i thank you, mr. speaker, and i thank the gentleman from washington state for yielding me time. ms. speier: 15 months ago in my

district a pipeline, a gas pipeline exploded and killed eight of my constituents. 38 homes were destroyed. many more were severely damaged. many were victims that sat in burn centers for months, and i visited them. it was a horrific scene. it destroyed that community in so many respects and yet like a phoenix it has risen above it. this bill is really very personal to me because i lived with those experiences with all of those constituents. there are a couple things that must be said today. the chairwoman of the ntsb, the national transportation safety board, said in their final report, our investigation revealed that for years the operator exploited weaknesses in a lax system of oversight. we identified regulators that placed the blind trust in the companies they were charged with overseeing to the detriment of public safety.

as a result of their report they made 30 safety recommendations, many of them identified as urgent, to address issues and record keeping information sharing. it highlighted the fact that the problem has been underregulation, not overregulation of the pipeline industry. for too long the pipeline operators have essentially written the rules for their industry. well, this bill takes a very important step forward in improving pipeline safety regulation. and i endorse it. but there is more that must be done. and ironically now in california because of this horrific accident, the residents in california will have better safeguards than any other state in this country because of actions taken by the state legislature and the california public utilities commission that will require moving forward that automatic and remote shutoff valves be placed in high consequence areas and in seismic areas.

not just on new pipeline and not just on new pipeline that they find economically feasible to place these automatic and remote shutoff valves. this is a key component that was not included in the legislation, and i must tell you when you saw that ball of fire raging for 90 minutes, an hour and a half, before they were able to turn off the gas, that is something that has to be addressed on a national basis. it's been addressed now in california, and i urge us as we move forward to address it on a national level as well. . n.t.s.b. is allowing for a smart pick. i didn't know what it was. i do now. and requiring that older pipelines be subject to smart picking is critical that they have not endured corrosion and have not been spiked and the

like. moving forward, i hope we will take the steps necessary not just to support this measure and have it signed into law, but our work is still not done. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady yields back. the gentleman from washington reserve? mr. larsen: i reserve. mr. shuster: we have no more speakers and i continue to reserve. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from washington is recognized. mr. larsen: in closing, let me say a few words, first off, i would like to thank ms. brown from florida, ranking member of the subcommittee as well as mr. rahall, the ranking member of the full committee on transportation and infrastructure as well as my colleagues on the majority side of the aisle on the committee and in energy and commerce for the work we have done to make this bill happen. this is the third version of the pipeline and safety bill that i have personally worked ongoing

back to 2001. each time congress has re-authorized the pipeline safety bill, we have learned lessons from the previous four years and incorporating those lessons into the legislation and taking forward steps to make the use of pipelines and the transportation of fuel, liquid fuel and gas safer. the third thing i want to point out is that each year, 2002, 2006 and 2011rks each year the passage of the pipeline safety bill, the bills have been bipartisan and garnered support in the house and senate and likely to see that in the house and urge the senate to take the bill up this week and pass it with bipartisan support as well. let me say to this body that i would urge them to support this bill and to pass h.r. 2845 and thank mr. shuster for his cooperation in his effort as

well. and with that, i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. the gentleman from pennsylvania is recognized. mr. shuster: i thank the speaker and i want to associate myself with the words of mr. larsen and one of the experts in congress when it comes to pipeline safety and it's been a pleasure to work with him on this bill. as i said earlier, i'm proud of the work that has gone into this bill on both sides of the aisle. this is a bipartisan agreement, bicameral agreement and we can all be proud of the product we have produced and look forward to passing it into law because pipelines are the safest way to move the gas and hazardous products that this economy needs. and it's important. it improves safety and enhances the reliability and provides the regulatory certainty so that the owners and operators of pipelines will make the investments in their systems that will create jobs across

america. i urge all my colleagues to support h.r. 2845 and with that, i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. the question is, will the house suspend the rules and pass h.r. 2845, those in favor say aye. those opposed, no. in the opinion of the chair, 2/3 being in the affirmative, the rules are suspended, the bill is passed and without objection, the motion is considered -- is laid on the table. pursuant to clause 12-a of rule 1, the chair declares the house in recess until approximately 6:30 p.m. today.

>> michael powell talks about the issues affecting the cable industry, tonight at 8:00 on c- span2. >> for the past few months we have examined the lives of the contenders, 14 8peoppeople who lost the presidency. freddie a ellicott pm. to watch additional video, visit c-span.org/thecontenders. >> the house rules committee is meeting to work on the payroll tax extension, but earlier this hour, john boehner talked about the bill.

>> good afternoon, everyone. i am pleased to announce tomorrow the house will vote on the middle-class tax relief and job creation act, a bill that should passed with bipartisan support. the bill will extend the payroll tax cut, extend and reform our unemployment insurance program, and protect the social security trust fund. it also includes important measures to help the private sector create more jobs. in addition to the keys and energy pipeline and stopping onerous government regulations, extend the expensing of business investment. this provision is something that was in the president's plan as well as ours, an area where we have been able to find common ground with the white house. this morning, a democratic member of the house endorsed

this legislation and said it is time we come together on a bipartisan way to pass this legislation. i believe is going to passed with bipartisan support, and when it comes to jobs, the american people cannot wait. we will take action. with that, i will take questions. [unintelligible] i believe is important that we enact both the payroll tax relief and the omnibus appropriations bill that funds are government. my belief is it is important that both of those past and are signed into law. [unintelligible] we have studied this keystone pipeline for three years. all the work has been done.

it has passed approval at every level. this afternoon to secretary of state said -- criticized our person of course our provision because it has an arbitrary date the president has to decide whether to proceed. everything is done. the state of nebraska now agrees. the only thing arbitrary about this decision is the decision by the president to say let's wait until after the next election. the american people want jobs. this is as close to a shovel- ready product you are going to see. this is the description of the kind of jobs plan the president says he wants to enact. [unintelligible] pardon me. [unintelligible] i think we have a good shot, otherwise it would not have been in there.

[unintelligible] about 90% of the offsets are offsets that have come from the administration. every one of these issues was discussed in the biden group and elsewhere as the year went on. i do not see any objections to the pay-fors that are in our bill. [unintelligible] saturday night? i don't think so. no. [unintelligible] i think we are going to have to wait until later on in the week to see what the senate does. all i can do is report to you

about what the house is doing, this week, and then the senate can do whatever the senate has to do. [unintelligible] the house is going to do its job, and it is time for the senate then to do its job. [unintelligible] "if ands and buts were candy and nuts, every day would be christmas." >> the rules committee is now meeting considering extending payroll tax cuts. the full house is expected to begin debate tomorrow with a final passage vote this week. you can watch the rules meeting on c-span3 right now. we will be taking you back to the floor of the house tonight at 6:30 eastern when members gavel back in.

before that, a discussion of the education department's funding of title i schools. continues. host: every monday at 9:15 is art features section, "your money." at the segment will look money the education department spends on low-income area schools. our guest is alyson klein of "education week." we wanted to ask about how school districts use the title i money to help low-income schools. guest: title i money is supposed to be focused on construction -- instruction. it can pay for coaches. it can be used for professional development, instructional activities. host: what does that mean?

you talk about this idea of what the money can be used for. guest: states and district will use this to determine which students are put into the title 1 formula. it is space-bar -- it is a complicated formula looking at the number of kids in poverty, population, pieces like that. it is supposed to be a plus, not replacing state and local dollars. host: we're talking at schools with a high percentage of students who come from low- income families. what challenges to the schools face -- what challenges do those schools face? guest: it can be more expensive

to educate. those parents not be able to afford preschool. title 1 closes the achievement gaps. host: the elementary and secondary education act requires the services provided in title 1 schools be least comparable to those provided in non title 1 school. guest: that is right. it is supposed to be a plus. host: above and beyond. alyson klein is a staff writer for "education week." here are the numbers to call -- host: you talk tell the funding

is allocated -- you talked about how the funding is allocated. guest: it is a complicated form what the looks that population at how much the state spends and other factors. there have been tweaks to the formula. the act is up for renegotiation. host: looking of the american recovery and reinvestment act, the stimulus funds by the obama administration -- what is the money used for? guest: the money is spent the same way other money is spent -- instruction, making sure teachers can do their jobs and to make sure they have the

materials they need. to insure that -- they did not want to be facing a funding crisis. the title 1 money was a special thing. school districts were cautioned not to do extra hiring unless they felt those positions could be sustained after that money went away. so they have to think carefully about how they would spend those funds. host: have you heard from schools, superintendents that they treated the money that way, or is always a risk that wants to get money in, you start to rely on that and put things in place that if they do not have funding in the future can fall apart? guest: it was a challenge to try to ensure that the money was spent on investment.

we're hearing layoffs in districts across the country. that is not just because stimulus money is dissipating. state and local budgets are in rough shape right now. it is tough to say what we're seeing such a wave of layoffs. host: here is a reason start the came from writers -- here is a recent story that came from writreuters. the department found more than 40% of schools with low-income students spent less per pupil than other schools in the same district. guest: that pointed to a problem that advocates have been talking about for a while.

this money is supposed to be a plus. in some schools, it has not been. they say there is a loophole in the law. this is a complicated issue. school districts have to make sure they are given all schools the same amount of money before they are allowed to pass the federal titled 1 money. when it comes to salaries, school districts don't have to look at how much they're paying each of the teachers in the school. they have to make sure everyone in the district is on the same salary schedule. and schools that serve low- income kids will love for teachers that are less experience and will be on the lower end of the salary schedule, making about $40,000. you may have 10 veteran teachers

making $80,000. there on the same salary schedule, so everything is ok. advocates say that's not fair. host: let's go to the phones. caller: good morning. what i have observed -- we have a situation where the bureaucracy is overburdening the system. title 1 requires a huge expenditure for all logos to the classroom. my bet is that less than a third goes to the classroom. the emphasis with title 1 on" accountability" is to account for every teacher, every expenditure on paper, but never

to account for the quality instruction in the classroom or to be sure if the kids are there. a lot of title 1 students are taught once toons because they have a parent who through seminars has discovered that the there isssi money available -- that there is ssi money available. discipline has gone by the wayside. anything that works has been thrown out. host: you brought up a lot of issues. guest: the caller made some interesting points. republicans and democrats have talked about scaling back what people say is the bureaucracy and red tape. in the current version of the act, they are striving -- some

of the ideas include giving states and districts more flexibility over title 1 money. host: madison, tennessee -- we lost wallace. tom, an independent. caller: there are so many facts and figures about how much a teacher's salary should be and building schools. it is hard to understand what is going on. i think they need some kind of framework so the voter can understand what is happening. one side says they cut the budget $800 million. other people said it was on education and students.

everyone i talk with said there were probably too many teachers. i do not understand you do not say -- they said some might teachers and kids will fall behind. how can you judge this? guest: there are folks in congress pushing districts to be more transparent about how they are spending their money. you can find out online how much teachers are paid and sometimes on the web site of the local teachers' union. host: a comment on twitter. this is according to jody. maybe you can talk to us about charter schools.

guest: some charter schools do receive title 1 funding. it depends on the local rules. i think it is a misnomer that charter schools get more of federal grants and public schools. there is a federal program that is dedicated for charters. i would say the vast majority of government money flows to public schools. host: alyson klein is a staff writer for "education week." gloria in san diego. caller: good morning, ladies. i would like to say to that lady this morning addressing this issue of title 1 funds, there is a history with title 1 funds --

there was a move by barbara boxer, she started her grass- roots foray into government investigating what happened to talk to one funds in marin county. she found out what happened to talk to one funds. there were not reaching the students. they were being used by administrators. i would like to know how come this problem is still existing. you are an adorable girl and doing a great job. your investigating something that is older than you are. host: i want to say that alyson klein is a staff writer from "education week."

the caller brings up the interesting history and where this comes from. guest: the caller brings up a point that a lot of folks in congress continue to make. they want to see more transparency with title 1 and with state and local dollars. some members in congress think the reporting requirements are too onerous right now. there's always a tension as lawmakers consider that. host: good morning on the independent line. caller: thank you. good morning. i have two comments. the first half to do with uniform testing for teachers -- testing for the students and how they evaluate the teachers. i have a son who is a teacher.

these tunes when taking a test put forth -- the students when taking a test put forth a certain effort. the standardized tests, they do not put forth the full effort. my son says a test that would take a student 20 minutes, the average kid takes 20 minutes. when they do the standardized tests, sometimes they are done in five to 10 minutes and they are just done. they will board through that test because they know will not affect their personal grade. guest: that is something that lawmakers talk a lot about, whether standardized tests should be used to great teachers -- rate teachers. some states are trying them out right now. -- itsn't look that

passed the senate committee early this fall. there wasn't a requirement that states or districts used standardized test to judge their teachers. that is a hot area of debate right now. the cult hit on a controversial area -- the caller hit on a controversial issue. host: we're focusing on education funding for low-income schools. how much money goes in a proportional to other schools. we have some numbers -- the budget request for 2012. host: can you share with these rewards are in the school to run

grants? guest: a proposal to give extra money to talk to one schools that do a good job of closing the achievement gaps. helping low-income students catch up. it does not appear that congress will approve the three and a million-dollar -- $300 million. right out the program is up in the air. for the school turnaround money, the obama administration has been specific about how they want to see it states and district turn around the law was performing schools. they propose some pretty controversial ideas, including getting rid of the principal if the person has been on the job for less than three years. one option involves getting rid of passive teachers at the schools. that debate continues to rage.

host: power from california -- howard. caller: good morning. titlet quite sure what in want that you're talking about when it comes to special -- is it special schools that do will well with underprivileged children that are going to be reimbursed or continue to be sponsored by this program? is that the idea? guest: that was the administration's proposal, to give those skills that do a good job with low-income students more money. it is not likely to be part of the final budget. host: was there an idea to have

a reward system for those schools that are doing well? seeing or the successes are and what methods are working and hoping to learn from that or foster more programs. guest: that was the idea of the title rewards program. one criticism was there was a bunch of punishments for schools and it wasn't an incentive for doing well. the rewards program was part of the administration's push to include more carrots and not just sticks in a nutshell left behind -- no child left behind. this is an overarching theme for the obama administration when it comes to education. host: $13 billion went to tie one programs. -- title 1

program. at more details.ore detail guest: the echoes back to the problem about whether the money is being used at the local level-- that goes back to the problem. you don't have to look at how much each individual is getting paid. just that they are on the same salary schedule. you could have inexperienced teachers at a total one school core earning less but they would meet the requirements of the last lot as it is now. that is the problem that the report reported to.

host: some are using like to fill holes in the budget. guest: districts were supposed to look closely at school expenditures. host: we have david in indiana, welcome. caller: my question concerns the salary schedule that keeps getting mentioned. has to been any studies done that show how a teacher who pursues a master's or ph.d. is a better teacher when it comes to teaching middle school or high school students? guest: that is a great question and another controversial area. a lot of states and districts give teachers extra pay if they pursue a master's degree. in some cases that has shown to improve their instruction.

some say having a master's degree it does not make you a better teacher. this is an area of hot debate in education policy. host: mike from oregon, good morning. caller: hello? host: you are on the program with alyson klein. caller: my name is mike. i don't understand why the children out here are going four days a week. they're going to be added disadvantage. maybe i'm wrong -- they are going to be at a disadvantage. they will cut as a down to three days a week. what line is it child abuse, and

aren't they being cheated out of a future? guest: well, right now state and local budgets are under a lot of pressure. some districts have dealt with this by going to a four-day school week. they made the day longer but they don't have to pay transportation and energy costs for all five days of the week. that is highly controversial. folks are wondering how you can get the same quality of education in four days as opposed to five days. host: gary writes in on t witter. talk to us about this idea he is bringing up. guest: there are a number of economists and educators that have looked to see in the

highest spending districts, like and watches, d.c. -- washington, d.c. there is as perennial point that money does not make the difference and that there are other ways of improving student achievement or the money needs to be spent smarter. host: we're focusing on funding for schools and children in low- income areas. title 1 funding was passed back of the 1960's and distributes money to schools in districts with high percentage of students from low-income families. our guest is alyson klein and talking to us about this and also about the stimulus program. there was a requirement that

schools report back on how they are spending the funds. we have some stories that show that it was almost -- here's a story -- "starting to bear fruit." this idea of schools of having to report back. how toddle one schools are spending their money -- how title one schools. guest: you can take a look and see if title once schools are getting an extra plus and the money is not just going to fill holes. host: what is the reaction from people who read the report? guest: arne duncan had a big

press call. he wanted to make sure that reporters were paying attention to this issue. he believes the loophole is closed in the reauthorization of no child left behind. he wants lawmakers to include that language. there was a bill that was passed with bipartisan support that does include language to close the loophole. we'll see how that plays out in congress. caller: hi. thank you for taking my call. is there any possibility that this could -- that nothing could get past? what happened to those students in those schools if that happens? guest: that is a wonderful

point. congress has had problems passing just about anything lately. it's tough to say whether there will be able to pass a reauthorization of no child left behind. there are superintendents who say that it might add another layer of bureaucracy and red tape and that spending decisions are better made at the local level. host: felix in woodbridge, virginia. caller: thank you for taking this call. should title one spending be used instructional material for the children as well as for braille instructors who are underpaid throughout the united states?

host: that question was about-- guest: that question was about blind children? host: what this money can be spent on. guest: title 1 money is supposed to be spent on instructional materials. you can make an argument that the kind of technology -- there may be school districts who found a way to use title 1 money for that purpose. the individuals with disabilities act funding goes to special education. that money would be more likely to be used for purposes like hiring teachers for the blind, for instance. host: connie, a democratic caller. where are you calling from? caller: bowie. i think public schools under

obama has gotten better. my kids are all grown and we lived in d.c. it was so bad that lots of times kids did not have toilet tissue in their bathrooms. i bought toilet tissue and took it to the teacher for the class. they have had some of the most wonderful teachers. my three children went to school in d.c. two of them went to college. one of them became a fireman and did quite well. if the parents do not support what the teachers are trying to do, they fall behind. i had a job. i would have to come down and i made sure i it may time to help them.

now i'm doing that for my grandson. he is a straight-a student. give them a book and the right homework.e they have wonderful public school teachers. people want to put public school teachers down. if you misbehave, your parent is called to the school. very seldom they have problems with children misbehaving. if the parents reinforce -- i used to tell my kids that if they misbehave, i would spank them right in front of the classroom where they misbehaved and i never had a problem with them. parents have to reinforce no matter how much money you put in.

parents have to reinforce what the teachers teach. host: basket response from our guest -- let's get a response. guest: president obama has talked a lot about parents responsibility. things like reading to your children is something he mentions in speeches. it is great to hear the caller -- it would be great for the obama administration to hear that education has improved. i mentioned race to the top in bracing reform changes in education policies. he has put money into a turnaround the law was performing schools. i'm sure secretary duncan would be pleased to hear what the caller said. host: we have a comment on

twitter. looking at where the money comes from. guest: that is a point that is brought a lot when it comes to education funding. it can be done but schools are funded through property taxes and other local sources of funds. that was part of the thinking behind title one. that was a plus for some local areas. it was not supposed to replace state and local dollars within a district. go to kentucky in hear from pat, a republican caller. caller: the parents are concerned. they are troubled that their children are not learning.

what troubles me the most was that some of these kids were intelligent. you could tell. they excelled in music and art and maybe in something else. school focuses on scholastic and the going to college. children knew they were not going to take that venue. the paris were frustrated -- the parents were frustrated that the teachers took away with the children were going to school for. they were failing in math and reading. why year upon year we're a looking at-- not all kids are going to go to college. look at the kids that are still -- we need plumbers,

electricians. we have smart kids. host: what was your involvement? did you have kids in those schools? caller: i went to several different schools, the elementary, middle schools. the schools were title one. my child did not need anything special. just for the involvement and to make sure we're getting funding. there is -- it was frustrating to parents. everything >> find the rest of this online as we take you live to the floor of the u.s. house. 2158 and approval of the journal. the first electronic vote will be conducted as a 15-minute

vote. remaining electronic votes will be conduct as five-minute votes. the unfinished business is the vote on the motion of the gentleman from california, mr. issa, to suspend the rules and pass h.r. 3220 on which the yeas and nays are ordered. the clerk will report the title of the bill. the clerk: h.r. 3220, a bill to designate the facility of the united states postal service located at 170 evergreen square southwest in pine city, minnesota, as the master sergeant daniel l. fedder post office. the speaker pro tempore: the question is will the house suspend the rules and pass the bill. members will record their votes by electronic device. this will be a 15-minute vote. [captioning made possible by the national captioning institute, inc., in cooperation with the united states house of representatives. any use of the closed-captioned coverage of the house proceedings for political or commercial purposes is expressly prohibited by the u.s. house of prohibited by the u.s. house of representatives.]

the speaker pro tempore: the yeas are 351 and the nays are zero. the bill is passed and without objection, the the motion to reconsider is laid upon the table. the unfinished business is the vote on the motion of the the gentleman from california, mr. issa, to suspend the rules and pass h.r. 2158 on which the the yeas and nays are ordered. the clerk: a bill to designate the postal service located at 14901 at la mirada at the wayne grisham post office. the speaker pro tempore: members will record their votes by

electronic device. this is a five-minute vote. [captioning made possible by the national captioning institute, inc., in cooperation with the united states house of representatives. any use of the closed-captioned coverage of the house proceedings for political or commercial purposes is expressly prohibited by the u.s. house of representatives.]

the speaker pro tempore: on this vote the yeas are 348 --

the speaker pro tempore: on this vote the yeas are 353, the nays are one. 2/3 of those voting having responded in the affirmative, the rules are suspended, the bill is passed and without objection the motion to reconsider is laid upon the table. pursuant to clause 8 of rule 20, the unfinished business is the vote on the motion of agreeing to the speaker's approval of the journal. the question is on agreeing to the speaker's approval of the journal. members will record their votes by electronic device. this is a five-minute vote.

[captioning made possible by the national captioning institute, inc., in cooperation with the united states house of representatives. any use of the closed-captioned coverage of the house proceedings for political or commercial purposes is expressly prohibited by the u.s. house of representatives.]

the speaker pro tempore: on this vote the yeas are 277, the nays are 74. with two present. the journal stands approved. for what purpose does the gentleman from illinois seek recognition? mr. jackson: mr. speaker, the

house is not in order. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is correct. the house will be in order. the house will be in order. for what purpose does the gentleman from illinois rise? mr. jackson: mr. speaker, i move that the house do now adjourn. the speaker pro tempore: the question is on the motion. those in favor say aye. those opposed, no. in the opinion of the chair, the nays have it. mr. jackson: mr. speaker. until the house addresses unemployment insurance, i recommend that we vote on that adjournment. the speaker pro tempore: do you seek a recorded vote? mr. jackson: i request a recorded vote, mr. speaker. the speaker pro tempore: a recorded vote -- the gentleman is not recognized for debate. mr. jackson: mr. speaker, i request a recorded vote. the speaker pro tempore: a recorded vote is requested.

all those in favor of taking this vote by the yeas and nays will rise and remain standing until counted. a sufficient number having arisen, a recorded vote is ordered. members will record their votes by electronic device. this will be a 15-minute vote. [captioning made possible by the national captioning institute, inc., in cooperation with the united states house of representatives. any use of the closed-captioned coverage of the house proceedings for political or commercial purposes is expressly prohibited by the u.s. house of representatives.]

the speaker pro tempore: the yeas are zero, the nays are 355, the motion is not adopted. the chair lays before the house the following enrolled bill. the clerk: h.r. 470, an act to

further allocate and expand the ability of the electric power and for other purposes. the house will be in order. the speaker pro tempore: members please take your conversations off the floor. for what purpose does the gentleman from tennessee seek recognition? >> mr. speaker, i move to suspend the rules and pass h.r. 1264 with an amendment. the speaker pro tempore: the clerk will report the title of the bill. the clerk: house kallen tar number 9 , h.r. 1264, a bill to designate the property between

the united states courthouse and the ed jones building located at 109 south highland avenue in jackson, tennessee, as the m.d. anderson plaza and to authorize the placement of a historical identification marker on the deprounds recognizing the achievements and philanthropy of m.d. anderson. the speaker pro tempore: does the gentleman seek to move the bill as ameppeded? >> yes. the speaker pro tempore: did the gentleman submit a copy of the bill to the desk? >> yes. the speaker pro tempore: pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from tennessee, mr. fleischmann and the gentleman from tennessee, mr. cohen, will each control 20 minutes. the chair recognizes the

gentleman from tennessee. mr. fleischmann: mr. speaker, i ask unanimous consent that all members may have five legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and exclude -- and include extraneous materials on h r. 1264. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, so ordered. mr. fleischmann: thank you, mr. speaker. i yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. fleischmann: h.r. 1264 would designate the property between the united states courthouse and the ed jones building located at 109 south highland avenue in jackson, tennessee, as the m.d. anderson plaza and authorize the placement of a his -- of historical markers on the grounds recognizing the achievements an fay phi lanthro by of m.d. anderson. i want to thank the gentleman from tennessee, mr. fincher, for introducing this legislation.

when anderson was one of the most -- monroe dunaway anderson was one of the most successful businessmen and philanthropists of the early 20th century. he was born in 1873 in jackson, tennessee. he attended college in memphis an came back to his hometown to work at the people's national bank. in 1904, m.d. anderson, his older brother frank anderson, and a businessman named will clayton established a partnership to buy and sell cotton in jackson, tennessee. by 1945, "fortune" magazine called their company the largest buyer, seller, storer and shipper of raw cotton in the world. outside of this cotton business, m.d. anderson contributed to

numerous philanthropic causes, especially medical research. in 1936 he established the m.d. anderson foundation which funded cancer research and education at the m.d. anderson center, m.d. anderson cancer center, which grew into the texas medical center in houston, texas. and one of the largest medical complexes in the world. i believe this legislation is appropriate in honoring m.d. anderson and his enduring legacy in his hometown as a successful american businessman and, more importantly, his crppings contributions to vital -- his contributions to vital medical research and philanthropy. the subcommittee worked closely with the bill to sponsor -- with the bill sponsor to make improvements to the legislation which are reflected in the amendments to the bill. the amendments ensure the legislation is in line with the commemorative works act by

requiring the design of the statue be approved by the general services administration prior to its installation. i support passage of this legislation as amended and urge my colleagues to do the same. i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves the balance of his time. the gentleman from tennessee is recognized. >> thank you, sir. i yield myself three minutes or as much time as i consume, which ever comes first. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. cohen: thank you, sir. i rise in support of h.r. 1264 which designates the property of the united states courthouse and the ed jones federal building in jackson, tennessee, as m.d. anderson plaza. ed jones was a congressman who preceded mr. fincher in that district and preceded mr. tanner and he had the slogan, ed jones from the heart of the country orb the heart of the district with the district at his heart. quite a fine man. this bill authorizes the placement of a historical marker on the grounds recognizing the

achievements of the deeds of m.d. anderson. born in 1873 in jackson, mr. anderson, who was known as m.d. anderson, was the successful business man, farmer and philanthropist. he went to college in memphis, smart man he was to go to memphis. then called southern baptist, i believe it became union and jackson -- union in jackson, tennessee. after he was in memphis and had that opportunity, he moved back to jackson and went to work at his family-owned business. a good choice. and went in the cotton business with his older brother frank and frank's brother-in-laws and they became the largest cotton company in the world, according to "fortune" magazine in 1945. in 1936 m.d. anderson created a charitable foundation that bother his name and funded it with -- bore his name and funded it. after his death, the trustees of m.d. anderson's estate directed an additional $19 million toward

his foundation and that helped create m.d. anderson's lasting legacy providing seed funds for the university of texas m.d. anderson cancer center which is one of the world's leader in cancer treatments and thankfully people who i know have had the opportunity to be treated there, it's a great clinic and it's the best place to go if you've got cancer and have that opportunity to be treated by the world's greatest professionals there in houston. m.d. anderson is considered to be the father of that institution and because this charitable foundation matched the initial state funds for texas state cancer treatment center, he has given that appalachian. his charitable foundation also supported libraries in college buildings including one in jackson, now known as lambeth university in memphis and plan tearians in jackson and houston. given his lasting and significant contributions to his communities, and really to the world, with the m.d. anderson

cancer clinic, which is the finest cancer clinic i suspect in the world, it's fitting that we honor his commitment by giving the plaques his name. some might question our taking this time when we have so many things going on to do this but this is the type of activity that will hopefully inspire others to use their good fortune and/or good works to help others in situations as dire as having cancer and m.d. anderson did that. it's a commendable piece of legislation and i'm happy that it was brought to the floor and i'm happy in supporting it and i urge my colleagues to support this. and i would yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves the balance of his time. the gentleman from tennessee is recognized. mr. fleischmann: mr. speaker, i wish to yield four minutes to the gentleman from tennessee, mr. fincher. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from tennessee is recognized. mr. fincher: thank you, mr. chairman, mr. speaker.

and i thank my colleague from tennessee, mr. cohen, for support of this. and my colleague from middle tennessee for his support as well. my bill, h.r. 1264, will rename the plassa between the two federal -- plaza between the two federal buildings in jackson, tennessee, after monroe dunway anderson, a true hero to millions of people who have been diagnosed with cancer. for those who don't know m.d. anderson, he was born and raised in jackson, tennessee, during the late 19th century. in 1904, after completing college and spending a few years working as a banker in memphis, m.d. anderson joined a cotton trading venture started by his older brother frank anderson and frank's brother-in-law will clayton. their corporation, anderson, clayton and company, flourished due to the rising demand of cotton during world war i. they eventually moved the business to houston, texas, to have better access to deepwater shipping. by the 1920's their operation had trading offices in europe,

africa and asia. the company continued to succeed through the 1930's and 1940's, diversifying its capital into a marine insurance company, a barge line, cotton mills and investment bank, machine works and even a foods division. by 1950 anderson, clayton and company was a multimillion-dollar corporation and their international market sales reached $3 -- 3.5% of all the world's cotton production. but we're not standing here tonight to honor m.d. anderson because of his incredible success in contributions to agri-business. many would keep the fruits of their labor for themselves, but m.d. anderson had others in mind. in 1936 he established a charitable foundation with $300,000 and a bonus -- upon his death in 1939 the foundation received an additional $19 million endowment. m.d. anderson had a particular interest in health care, specifically in working to find a cure for cancer.

trustees of the foundation kept m.d. anderson's interest and passions in mind as they decided how to use the foundation's undowment after his death. funding from the foundation helped to start the texas medical center in houston, texas, which is the largest medical complex this the world. funding was also used to establish the m.d. anderson cancer center at the texas medical center which is one of the world's most respected centers devoted exclusively to cancer patient care, research, education and prevention. since 1944, nearly 900,000 patients have turned to m.d. anderson for cancer care. in addition to medical research, the m.d. anderson foundation has built libraries, auditoriums, college buildings and a plantarian. we honor m.d. anderson today not because of his success in agri-business but because of his generosity and interest in bettering the lives of others. i want to take a moment to thank

the ranking member of the subcommittee, ms. norton, for her support and for working with me on the language in this bill. i also want to recognize the hard work of mayor jerry guest of jackson, the jackson city council, madison county mayor, jimmy harris, and the madison county commission and finally i want to specifically thank mr. dicky day of jackson, tennessee, and mr. carter edwards of murray city, tennessee, for their efforts to ensure the life and achievements of m.d. anderson are memized in his home town of -- memorialized in his hometown of jackson, tennessee. it's an honor to sponsor this bill and i urge my colleagues to sponsor this legislation and with that i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. the gentleman from tennessee is recognized. mr. fleischmann: mr. speaker, i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the question is will the house suspend the rules and pass h.r. 1264. those in favor say aye. those opposed, no. -- as amended. those in favor say aye. those opposed, no.

mr. fleischmann: i object to the vote on the grounds that a quorum is not present and i make a point of order that a quorum is not present. the speaker pro tempore: in the opinion of the chair, 2/3 of those voting having responded in the affirmative -- the gentleman from tennessee is recognized. mr. fleischmann: mr. speaker, i object to the vote on the grounds that a quorum is not present and i make a point of order that a quorum is not present. the speaker pro tempore: pursuant to clause 8 of rule 20 further proceedings on this question will be postponed. the chair will now entertain requests for one-minute speeches. for what purpose does the gentleman from -- the gentlelady from north carolina rise? ms. foxx: permission to address the house for one minute, mr. speaker. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. ms. foxx: thank you, mr. speaker. today i want to speak of the remarkable life of my friend, gene rossage of winston, -- winston allem. gene died after a tenacious fight with cancer. one of the remarkable things about gene is he grew up in cuba and fled to the u.s. with his family in 1962 in surge of

freedom. despite being uprooted and transplanted into a new culture and nation he thrivinged in winston salem, forging a successful 30-year career at wachovia bank. but he was more than just a successful businessman. he was passionate about investing in the community which he went about with gustow during the nearly 50 years he made his mark on the community of winston salem. he leaves behind a shining example of helping others, from searching as a volunteer translator for the police and court system to serving with the red cross to volunteering on the board of a local catholic high school. gene also lived a vibrant life of faith, serving in numerous ways in his local church, our laidy of mercy, for decades. his life demonstrated to those who knew him that he was a man of conviction, steadfast faith and unrivaled dedication to his community and those in need. he will be greatly missed in his passing is a terrible loss to his family and loved ones as well as the entire winston-salem community. mr. speaker, my prayers are with his family and many friends who

are mourning the loss of a man of kindness and remarkable character. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady yields back. for what purpose does the gentleman from texas seek recognition? mr. poe: request permission to address the house for one minute. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. mr. poe: mr. speaker, the supreme court is the most important court in the world. however, very few citizens have the chance to watch the supreme court in action when historic lawsuits come before it. this is because the seating in the courtroom is limited. the supreme court will soon take up the health care bill and rule on its constitutionality. this momentous case affects every single american yet only a select group will be able to attend the hearing. respective jerry connolly has introduced legislation that i support to allow cameras in the supreme court. a single nonintrusive-type camera controlled by the court

staff would allow for greater access in the decisions made by the nine jurists in black robes. i know cameras can be placed in a courtroom without disruption because i was one of the first judges in texas to allow cameras to film criminal cases. a lack of seating capacity is no reason to deny the american people the right to see supreme court proceedings. the american people deserve an all-access pass to watch the high court rule on the law of the land. and that's just the way it is. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. for what purpose does the gentleman from minnesota seek recognition? >> to address the house for one minute, revise and extend. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. >> mr. speaker, i rise today to give voice to a concern that i have heard raised from numerous constituents who originally hail from belarus. mr. paulsen: since 1994, the president has abuse it's -- abused his power and actively worked to undermine the people of the belarusian people. the state department released a report on the human rights situation in belarus.

and under this regime, belarusians have been subject to manipulated elections and oppression on the basis of political affiliation, ethnicity and religious beliefs. following the most recent election, security forces arrested presidential candidates and journalists. mr. speaker, it is unacceptable that this kind of oppression exists today in europe. and i hope that more americans will be a-- made aware of the tyranny in belarus. i thank the belarusian american youth association for bringing this to my attention and i stand with my constituents in support of freedom for the belarusian people and in opposition to this oppressive regime. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. the chair lays before the house the following personal requests. the clerk: leaves of absences requested for mr. berman of california for today, mr. cicilline of rhode island for today, mr. coble of north carolina for today, mr. davis of

illinois for today, mr. griffith of virginia for today, mr. gutierrez of illinois for today and the balance of the week, mr. heinrich of new mexico for today , mr. marino of pennsylvania for today, mrs. in a pal an -- mrs. napolitano and mrs. sewell of alabama for today. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, the requests are granted. under the speaker's announced policy of january 5, 2011, the gentleman from texas, mr. gohmert, is recognized for 60 minutes as the designee of the majority leader. mr. gohmert: thank you, mr. speaker. so much going on these days, and we have to trust the united states, the federal entities of

the executive branch, to keep us protected. that's why our hearing last week with the attorney general of the united states, eric holder, before the judiciary committee of the house, was very disturbing. we had the attorney general -- we had attorney general holder before our committee back on may 3 of this year. at that time, the attorney general said with regard to this horrible project, undertaking, called fast and furious, the attorney general said he had only known about it , quote, a few weeks, unquote.

to most of us, a few weeks means about three weeks. however, in testifying, under penalty of perjury, last week, the attorney general said in essence, look, three weeks, three months, they're, you know, a few weeks is three months. there's not really any difference. when you have the highest ranking person in the department of the united states justice who plays so fast and loose with testifying under oath, who plays so fast and loose with the facts, it is quite disturbing and it's time for a change. our attorney general testified that there were a certain

number of guns, 94,000 firearms, submitted for tracing and that 64,000 of those firearms were sourced to the united states. the further we get into that, the more inaccurate we find out those figures are. and of course, we recall, it's understandable, that with a boss like the united states president, who has previously said 90%, 95% of the guns seized at crime scenes in mexico came from the united states, it's understandable that if the boss is making those kind of glaring errors on numbers, perhaps the head of the department of justice would make substantial mistakes in numbers.

but fortunately, the department of justice is not the only source of information regarding those type of matters. the cop gregsal research service is a bipartisan group they do an extraordinary job, i've gotten the impression that potentially the majority may be democrat, but it doesn't matter to those folks, they do a very good job of researching thoroughly whatever project they're given and the information that we were able to get back from con fregsal research service indicates that there are maybe only 25% of the weapons that mexico has seized that are capable of being traced back to the original source. and that most of the weapons that mexico seizes are never

offered for the process of tracing because they know there's no way to trace them. so if only 25% of those that are seized in mexico are asked to have tracing done, then it is very clear that not 95%, not 90%, not even 70% of the weapons seized can be traced to an american owner first. we also know from the testimony and the information about this fast and furious project of the a.t.f., department of justice, because the a.t.f. is a subsidiary of the department of justice, but we know that gun dealers will push -- were pushed into making sales to

people they didn't believe should be sold the weapons. and our own federal government, our own justice department, urged them to go ahead and make the sales on behalf of their country anyway. then some in this administration had the nerve to say, this, too, was bush's fault. and they point to programs in the bush administration as being the source. andrew mccarthy, back november 8, had a great article entitled, and national review online, fast and furious was, dot, dot, dot, bush's fault. and he goes on to point out that fast and furious did not begin until 2009, months after the end of the bush administration and he goes on to point out a number of this thing -- a number of things,

for example, wide receiver, which was a project under the bush administration, involved what were considered controlled driveries. as a former judge, we heard testimony constantly about controlled deliveries, where the government would have people -- find out people were inquiring about making drug sales and they would set up a delivery, there would be plenty of agents there to intervene as soon as the transaction had actually been made, the controlled delivery meant not only do you have people watch york uh may even have some way to follow the transfer of what's pg transferred in that controlled delivery. that is what was anticipated with wide receiver, the project

under the bush administration, and unfortunately, there was an incident where wide receiver apparently that project had a controlled delivery set up of weapons, the intent never, ever to allow them to actually leave this country or to actually have the individuals involved get away with those weapons, but actually to have them have an interdiction, have them arrested, but unfortunately, and also, one other thing, they had homing devices on the weapons, well, unfortunately, everything went wrong, the homing devices were detected, they were removed, the controlled delivery went bad and folks got away. that is a far sight different from this administration just deciding, we are going to see

that massive number, at least a couple of thousand, weapons are put in the hands of criminals who will likely take them across the border. they will certainly end up in the deaths of mexicans and there's a good chance will result in the deaths of americans. anyone in any administration who thinks such an idea is a good one needs to go from that administration. anyone from any administration who allows something so insane to take place does not need to be in that administration. anybody who has such lax control over his department that though -- that though those directly under him know about it they leave him plausible deniability to come in and say, i didn't know

anything about it. maybe lanny brewer, he knew about it, but -- yeah, i see him quite a bit, but i didn't know anything about it. anybody that sets up structure to allow thems that kind of plausible deniability, so-called plausible, and would allow something that results in a foreseen death, much less hundreds of deaths, does not need to be head of that department. this is not -- this should not be a partisan issue. back when president bush, george w. bush, was president, we had been told in our judiciary committee in the house, by the attorney general at that time, that there were no known abuses of the national security letters. the national security letter

powers bother me greatly. extremely concerned about them. have been very concerned about them. and we had the report from the attorney general, no, there's no known abuses. that is an awfully powerful weapon, but we were assured under the patriot act it is only allowable that those letters be used to gain information about foreign nationals, not american citizens or people who are associated with known foreign terrorist organizations. they would never be used against american citizens. we were assured that. so some of us wanted to make sure that there were no abuses no american citizens were being pursued, internationally or nationally. we were assured they weren't. the attorney general in july

had testified before -- this was, i guess, 2007, i believe it was july, that there were no known abuses by a federal -- by federal agents of the national security letter where they demand information, documentation, all that nst possession of the person to whom the letter is sent. turns out, three days before the attorney general testified before the senate judiciary committee, there had been a report that was placed on his desk, the attorney general's defense was, i never read it before i testified before the senate, so i was testifying honestly, i just didn't know. that was enough, though, to have people on both sides of the aisle, republican and democrat, house and senate, agree something -- we need a

change. and we got a change within about six weeks. this administration is so used to obfuscating, hiding the ball, preventing documentation that's requested from coming to light, this administration thinks that it can keep protecting people who need to go for the good of the country. then we find out, there's emails in the documents that were provided by the justice department, there are emails indicating that gee, maybe it would be a good idea if we could use fast and furious numbers to get more regulation.

we have an article, part of cbsnews.com. when she indicates a.t.f. officials didn't intend to publicly disclose their own role in letting mexican cartels obtain the weapons but emails show they discussed using the sales, including sales encouraged by a.t.f. to justify a new gun regulation called, quote, demand letter three, unquote. that would require some u.s. gun shops to report the sale of multiple rifles or long guns. demand letter three was so named because it would be the third a.t.f. program demanding gun dealers report tracing information. on july 14, 2010, after a.t.f. headquarters in washington, d.c., received an update on d.c., received an update on fast and