senate to have more disclosure of funding and nonprofits, because that is another way that individuals, unions, corporations can influence the process without the public really knowing exactly who is behind. that behi that ad. host: what is the difference between alec and a 501 (c)(3)? guest: a 501 (c)(3) is not a lobbying group. it is a tax-exempt organization. under federal law, a lobbying group is someone who as contact with members of congress or the administration and seeks to change laws. there are lots of ways to influence legislation. host: we have to leave it there. thank you. the house is coming in for their morning our speeches and at noon there will take an active dates back to the wilderness act of

1964, described as a way to promote hunting and fishing on public land. but a report finds it make clear the way for motorized vehicles and new roads in wilderness areas. thanks for watching. we will be back tomorrow. [captions copyright national cable satellite corp. 2012] the chair will alternate recognition between the parties with each party limited to one hour and each member other than the majority and minority leaders and the minority whip limited to five minutes each, but in no event shall debate continue beyond 11:50 a.m. the chair recognizes the gentleman from massachusetts, mr. mcgovern, for five minutes. without objection. mr. mcgovern: mr. speaker, this past saturday the food network premiered their first-ever

documentary. i urge my colleagues and indeed all americans to watch it by going to feednot work.com and searching for hunger hits home. it's fitting that the food network, a cable network which features cooking, would choose to show hunger for the first documentary. while 435 members of congress and 100 senators will not have to worry about going hungry, there are millions that struggle. 17 million kids each year go hungry in america and those numbers are getting worse, not better. the food network aired this documentary because of the hard work like billy shore. this effort wouldn't be where it is today without them. we have more than enough food in america to feed everyone. we also have the delivery systems to ensure that food gets to what we lack, mr.

speaker, is the political will to actually make it happen. we should remember that while there was a cost to ending hunger, the cost of doing nothing is so much more. according to a report from the center for american progress, hunger costs america more than $261 billion each year. that's billion with a b. specifically, hunger costs, and i quote, at least $165.5 million due to the combination of lost economic productivity each year, more expensive public education because of the rising costs of poor education outcomes, avoidable health care costs and the cost of charity to keep families fed. this $167.5 million is not -- does not include the cost of the supplemental nutrition assistance program and the other key federal nutrition programs which run at about $94 billion a year. we call this $167.5 billion

america's hunger bill. in 2010 it cost every citizen $542 due to the far-reaching consequences of hunger in our nation. at the household level the hunger bill came to at least $1,410 in 2010, and because our $167.5 billion estimate is based on a cautious methodology, the actual cost of hunger and food insecurity to our nation is probably higher, and i end the quote. $167.5 billion, that's a lot of money. it's a staggering amount. yet we continue to ignore those costs and allow hunger to grow in america. we know that hunger would be even worse in this country if it weren't for programs like the snapsnap -- like the snap program. these programs are literally lifelines for children, parents and seniors. i believe we can end hunger in america if we have the political will to do so.

fighting hunger has been a bipartisan effort. unfortunately the republican leadership in this house is pushing an agenda that will actually make hungry worse in a second. $33 billion for the most important anti-hunger program in this country, snap is a program that not only provides food to low-income parents, seniors and children, it also provides a most effective form of economic stimulus and it actually reduces poverty. yet, the republican leadership continues to demagogue the program as wasteful, as fraudulent and something that's growing out of control, but nothing can be further from the truth. snap is among the most effective and efficient federal programs. the truth is that the snap error rate is around 3%. that error rate includes people who do not receive the benefit that they are entitled to. i challenge anyone to find here a defense department program with an error rate as low as 3%. i look forward to a time when

the republican leadership stops using hunger as a wedge issue and lets this become a bipartisan issue once again. i understand that we need to balance the budget, mr. speaker, but must it be on the backs of the poor and the most vulnerable in our country? are we going to end hunger once and for all or not? so far the answer from the republican leadership is a resounding no, and i regret very much that decision. mr. speaker, hunger is a political problem. if we have the political will we can end it once and for all. i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. the chair recognizes the gentleman from illinois, mr. kinzinger, for five minutes. mr. kinzinger: thank you, mr. chairman. i want to just say before i actually get started, we just saw the space shuttle fly over on the back of a 747 and i salute the end of an amazing era in space exploration and i

look forward to the next day of nasa being able to talk about space exploration and how we're going to get out there so we don't have to rely on russians to get to space to continue to do what i think is a very important role of the federal government. i was in houston, i actually went through the nasa center here about three, four days ago, but i was in houston for military duty. i am a pilot in the air national guard. i fly an airplane called an rc-26, which is a reconnaissance plane. i did nine days of duty and what we did is we were in texas flying missions on the border of mexico in order to help border patrol to secure that border, to ensure that people that want to come here come here legal answered if not more importantly, to ensure that the drug trade is not being brought in our country, reduce the amount of drugs being brought in from mexico, as well as to ensure that terrorists are not making their roy through the border by sneaking in through

that border of mexico. now, before i went i expected to see a border that was basically secure because that's what i've been hearing from the administration, that the border is basically secure. the other examples of people coming outside of that, but for the most part it's pretty good to go. but what i saw was something completely different. you know, i am going to tell you a quick story about someone who's on the border every day trying to protect this country against drugs and against terrorism coming through that border. this guy as a border patrol agent, efficiently, i guess affectionately known oozey. he was a marine for about five years. started a small business and made the decision that, you know, he want to go continue to serve and protect this country. i flew missions with oozie. he was onboard my aircraft as we assisted border patrol and the one thing he said to me is, congressman, look, we're out here every day in the heat, the sweltering sun trying to

continue to protect this country, make sure you give us what we need here. and when you hear about the stories about hamstrung they are about actually enforcing the border and how there are many tools available to them that they are not allowed to use, it's actually pretty sad. now, look, we want to be a nation of immigration. we want to be a nation of legal immigration, but one thing we don't want to be a nation that wakes up one day and finds out there was another terrorist attack in a major united states city, and that potential weapons of mass destruction or those terrorists that actually came in through an unsecured border with mexico. i went down there really believing there was really a fence along the line and i saw nothing of the kind in southern texas. let's tell the american people the truth. the truth is we want to be a nation that respects immigration because most of us here actually are immigrants removed ourselves. we want to be a nation that has a legal process to do it. and when we have an open

border, we're encouraging people to go around in a legal process and we're opening ourselves up to attack. let's stand together. let's say to respect the immigration and the immigrant history of this country, but let's do it in a legal way. my eyes were open as i did military duty on the border for the fact that we have a long way to go. this can be a bipartisan issue. it doesn't need to be republican versus democrat. but it needs to be something we actually finally do and we stand together and we say we will be a nation that is safe once and for all. with that i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. the chair recognizes the gentleman from oregon, mr. blumenauer, for five minutes. mr. blumenauer: thank you, mr. speaker. today's the deadline for filing tax returns. even though we were given two extra days this year, we are running out of time for the tax code. the tax system doesn't generate

enough money for what america needs and spends today. it's getting more expensive every year to continue the huge array of tax breaks even as the code itself becomes more unfair, complex and inefficient. it costs over $160 billion a year for americans just to comply with the tax code. the path forward should be simple. first we should stop making the code more complex but sadly the republican plan working its way forward will do with $50 billion of additional unfocused tax breaks. at least if we're going to borrow another $50 billion from the chinese we should use it to fund job-creating infrastructure. for instance, that $50 wool would enable us to -- would enable us to fund a multiyear transportation re-authorization. we should repeal the pernicious alternative minimum tax. it was once designed as a tax

on very rich people who didn't pay taxes. today, no billionaire hedge fund manager pays the alternative minimum tax. instead, it falls on upper middle-income families, especially those who pay a lot of tax. every year we find some creative way to avoid the consequence of it not being indexed for inflation. every year we find some way to have a fix, to have a patch to avoid its full impact. unless, unless somehow there is a complete breakdown in the political process which sadly is not impossible as we saw this last year with the f.a.a. re-authorization. if that were to happen, then at least the full fury of 20 million to 30 million of upper middle income and middle income households who would be forced to pay it, they would force it to be repealed. we should combine the

alternative minimum tax repeal with the imposition of the so-called buffett rule where millionaires at least pay as much as the people who answer their phones and drive them to work. this will get back to the original intent of the alternative minimum tax, but in a way that simplifies the tax code rather than further complicating it. we should stop the dangerous practice of suspending some of the payroll tax in the name of economic stimulus. we are uncomfortably close to destabilizing the long-term funding mechanism for social security. instead of the payroll tax cut, let's target a tax credit for lower and middle-income families that will be fair, affordable and help nurture our fragile economic recovery without threatening the long-term social security stability. we should target for

elimination tax breaks that are out of date like the subsidy of oil that doesn't reflect current production techniques or the reality of global petroleum markets. we should instead protect subsidies that are key for our future, especially expiring renewable energy tax credits. we should renew the section 1603 treasury grant program which reflects current market realities and would actually be less expensive than traditional tax credits. on this tax day we should look for some progress towards building momentum for real tax reform. the romney republican house budget refuses to identify any of the massive tax increases that will be necessary to meet their plan of even more tax cuts for the rich and not increase the deficit. with $4 trillion in expiring

tax provisions later this year, we should use some of that economic capacity to make the tax system more fair, simple while we reduce the debt. the time to begin that process is now, not making the tax code more complex, not favoring those who need help the least, not risking long-term social security funding and not borrowing for unfocused new tax relief. instead, let's deal with investments like renewable energy and infrastructure. let's use some of this budget capacity to reduce the overall corporate tax break while broadening the base and closing loopholes. simpler, fairer, better for business. let's eliminate the tyranny of the alternative minimum tax, protect our energy future, support renewables, and there is a path forward that we should start on now. what better way to honor

american taxpayers on filing day than getting serious with an agenda that with actually be achieved and should be. . the speaker pro tempore: the chair recognizes the gentleman from, california, mr. mcclintock, for five minutes. mr. mcclintock: mr. speaker, defining aspect of the american tradition is that groups of citizens ban together for a wide variety of civic purposes. they recruit volunteers, raise funds and spend those funds to promote whatever project or cause brings them together. for more than a century our tax laws have recognized that such volunteerary associations, the non-- voluntary associations, the nonprofits, as we call it, should not be taxed because their proceeds are improving our education and advocacy and civic action. section 501 of the internal revenue code recognizes them today and civic groups, as

diverse as moveon.org, the league of conservation voters, the aclu, the national rifle association and various taxpayer groups have always been included in this definition. we don't apply a political test to these civic groups. we recognize the fundamental right of americans to organize and to pool their resources to promote whatever causes they believe in, left or right. indeed, whatever their political persuasion, these civic groups perform an absolutely indennis pencible rule in our -- indispensible role in our economy. holding people accountable and to address griefanses. abolition, women suffrage, the civil rights movement all would have been impossible without them. in order to be recognized as nonprofit groups these organizations must register with the i.r.s., a purely minute steerial function that

in the -- ministerial function. at least until now, it seems that tea party groups are today being treated very differently than their counterparts on the political left. for the last two years many have been stone walled by the i.r.s. when they sought to register as nonprofits and most recently they have been barraged with increasingly aggressive and threatening demands vastly outside the legal authority of the i.r.s. and indeed the only conceivable purpose of these demands is to intimidate and harass. a group submitted articles of incorporation as a nonprofit to the state of california and they received approval within a month. but then they tried to register as a nonprofit with the i.r.s. despite repeated and numerous inquiries, the i.r.s. stone walled this group for a year

and a half at which time demanded thousands of pages of documentation and gave the group less than three weeks to produce it. the i.r.s. demanded the names of every participant at every meeting held over the last two years, transcripts of every speech given at those meetings, what positions they had taken on issues, the names of their volunteers and donors and copies of communications they had with elected officials and on and on. perhaps most chilling of all, the organizer of this particular group soon found herself the object of a personal income tax audit by the i.r.s. mr. speaker, these are groups of volunteers who pass the hat at meetings to pay for renting the hall. they give their own time to research issues and pay out of their own pockets for printing fliers. the donations made to them aren't tax deductible, so there is no relit jt purpose in asking for the names of their donors, let alone of their volunteers unless, and this is

the fine point of it, unless the purpose is to harass and intimidate. . the taxics we'll see used by the i.r.s. again tea parties were once used in the southern states to intimidate civil rights groups like the naacp. no such tactics have been reported by similar political groups on the left so the conclusion is inescapable. that this administration is very clearly, very pointedly, and very deliberately attempting to intimidate, harass, and threaten civic minded groups with which they disagree using one of the most feared and powerful agencies. united states government to do so. mr. speaker, these facts speak for themselves. they need no embellishment for interpretation. they should alarm every american of good will regardless of political philosophy. for this precedent is allowed to stand, no one's freedom is safe. i bring these facts to the

attention of the house today and ask that they be rigorously investigated and if found accurate that those officials responsible be exposed, disgraced, dismissed, and debarred from any further position of trust or power within our government. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yield back. the chair recognizes the gentleman from vermont, mr. welsh, for five minutes. mr. welch: permission to address the house for five minutes. revise and extend. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. without objection. mr. welch: mr. speaker, in74 days this congress may well hang a financial albatross around the neck of students and families across this country. that's because on july 1 student interest rates are scheduled to go from 3.4% to 6.8%. literally doubling the interest costs that our kids and their parents are going to have to pay

on their education. we have got to find a way, republicans and democrats, to work together in a n -- and avoid this punishing interest rate increase on our students. this is not about republicans or democrats. it's not about red states or blue states. it's not about the 2012 election. it's about the kids that we all represent. it's about the parents that we all represent. in my case in the state of vermont it's about students like michael who is a freshman at the university of vermont and he literally doesn't know whether he's going to be able to go on in college if the interest rates double. it's about parents like ben truman and jennifer who last month were sitting around the table with their son about to go to college and trying to fit the pieces together to be able to afford it. what this also is about is ground zero for the middle class. this country faces a very

fundamental question. are we a country, are we a congress that is going to remain committed to expanding and broadening the middle class? making it possible for low-income folks to find their way into the middle class, making it possible for folks in the middle class to stay there? in order to do that we have to invest in the future and that means making it possible, making it affordable for our kids to get the education they need to get that start. student debt in this country is at a crisis point. it outpaces credit cards, auto loans, and no end in site. in vermont nearly 70% ever our college graduates -- again this has nothing to do with what their political affiliation is. 70% of our college students in vermont graduate with debt about 30 -- $30,000. that's real money.

tees a tough job market. students are totally at the mercy of a system out of control. the average tuition at four-year public kwlusts rose by 8%. costs are going up. in a recent poll found that 7 a% of 5ers of americans is unaffordable. . that can't be people need to have the ticket to the middle class is there and affordable. that's why we together have to find a way to avoid this doubling of interest rates. for over eight million students in this country, stafford loans are very critical resource helping them afford the cost of that college education we all want them to get. you know, with the federal government now borrowing money at close to 2%, why are we asking middle class families to pay 6.8%? these are not combrants. these are loans.

they'll be repaid. let's find a way to help our kids and help our parents. mr. speaker, i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. the chair recognizes the gentleman from north carolina, mr. jones, for five minutes. mr. jones: mr. speaker, thank you very much. like my colleagues in the house, i was home for the last two weeks on our easter break, and it continues to amaze me why we in congress do not listen to the american people. i represent the third congressional district of north carolina, the home of camp lejeune marine base, seymour johnson air force base and over 60,000 retired veterans. not one person said to me we need to stay in afghanistan. i'm not exaggerating, mr. speaker. every one that i saw and had a conversation with and the issue of afghanistan came up in the conversation said, get out, get out now.

that's why i want to be on the floor today because the administration keeps saying, well, 2014, 2014. and yesterday driving back to d.c. i was listening to c-span and i heard an interview with secretary panetta and general dempsey and i have a lot of respect for both men, but it was kind of vague when secretary panetta said to the reporter that asked him our plans for 2014. when, you know, we're hoping we can train the afghans to stabilize their own country. mr. speaker, i say this respectfully, that's an iffy proposition at best. in a weent "washington post"/abc news poll, only 30% of the american people say the war have been worth fighting. the citizens of this country are tired of sending their loved ones dying for a country we have not been able to change

in a decade. i will go to even say this, it has not changed in the history of afghanistan going back to alexander the great. but why are we still there? well, again, people say well, we got to stabilize the country. we can't even stabilize america's economy. and sometimes it gets a little bit ridiculous when i look at all the money being spent overseas and particularly in a country like afghanistan and we say to the people of eastern north carolina and the people in the 50 states, we don't have money to fix your infrastructure. but yet, mr. karzai, your current leader, and we are proud to keep sending you $10 billion a month. talking about mr. karzai brings me to an editorial, syndicated columnist, and it's tiled "afghanistan: an indefensible cost" and i feel that mr. robertson, who wrote it then

could have written it now and i quote from the column. this is from mr. karzai. the time has come to reduce military operations. the time has come to reduce the presence of, you know, boots in afghanistan. to reduce the intrusiveness into the daily afghan lives. this is what president karzai said to the "washington post". well, in his column in 2010 that he could be writing today, april, 2012, this is what mr. robertson said in response to karzai. all right then. let's save american lives and a ton of money. let's oblige him. mr. robertson, thank you. i hope that this congress, when we debate the d.o.d. bill in may, and we have amendments from both sides saying that we must have a more defined end to this involvement in

afghanistan, i hope and pray that we will pass some of these legislation -- legislative amendments. mr. speaker, i brought with me today, i got so many of these posters of a tragic scene of a soldier, marine, airman, navy, whoever it might be in a coffin going to his or her grave. that brings me to my last point. the body of war, a production by phil donahue and maria schapiro. i am going to be talking more about this because this young man is paralyzed from his breast down, and what he has to go through to live. this congress needs to meet its constitutional responsibility. any other involvement by our country needs to be a declaration of war. mr. robertson, thank you, again, and i close, god, please, god, please continue to bless our men and women in uniform. the families of our men and

women in uniform and the wounded. god, continue to bless america. with that i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. the chair recognizes the gentleman from texas, mr. green, for five minutes. mr. green: mr. speaker, i rise this morning with good news and bad news. this news comes by way of my hometown newspaper, "the houston chronicle" and i am proud that they have printed and published the news i am about to share with the public. the bad news is that mr. johnson was beaten on the streets of houston, texas, simply because of his race. simply because of his race. this is bad news for anyone in our great country, a country that believes in liberty and

justice for all. it's bad news. the good news, however, is they were prosecuted and they were convicted in a federal court pursuant to the james byrd hate crime law. and i'm honored to tell you this law passed in this congress in 2009 and was signed into law. it is properly filed the matthew shepard-james byrd hate crime prevention act. it was supported by many people and organizations expressing good will. the naacp supported it. the a.d.l. supported it and many others supported this law. a good many members of this congress supported it. this law allows the prosecution to take place in a federal court when these men, three of them, would have been charged

in a state court and if convicted faced misdemeanor charges. in this the greatest country in the world, no one should have to fear for life or liberty simply because of who you are, simply because of your race, your ethnicity, your gender, your sexuality. it shouldn't happen in this country. the truth is that in this case there was some testimony with reference to one of the defendants having dated a person of african ancestry. that was testimony that he did not appear to be the kind of person that would be considered a white supremacist. but here is a another truth we have to deal with. the truth is that there is confusion about the hate crime law. there is a misunderstanding.

this law does not allow you to impose dastardly deeds upon persons simply because you are of the same race as the person that you are assaulting. the truth is if you assault and target a person because of race, it doesn't matter what your race is. you are committing a hate crime. the truth is you can be of the same race and commit a hate crime. the victim and the perpetrator can be of the same race and you will still have a hate crime. we need to rid ourselves of this foolish notion that this law was passed in some way to assault persons who are of an ethnicity or race that we have traditionally in this country found to be engaged in some of these kinds of activities. it's not targeted at any given

race. it's targeted at people who commit crimes against other people simply because of who these people are. and i remind you injustice against any one of us is a threat to justice for every one of us, and we all have a duty to make sure that we don't send out some silly notion that this law was designed for one race of people. this law was designed for every person who would commit a hate crime against another person. so i'm saddened to say this morning that the bad news is mr. johnson had to fight off several persons, stood his ground for 10 minutes, but indicated he thought he was going to die as they assaulted him. that's the bad news. the good news is that the law has worked, that this law is bringing new meaning to the notion of justice for all and this law would not allow those

who would commit dastardly deeds and be prosecuted in state courts for misdemeanors to go unchecked. they will not face felony charges in our federal courts. this is how it should be in this greatest country. god bless all those who are listening and god bless the united states of america. the speaker pro tempore: the chair recognizes the gentleman from illinois, mr. shimkus, for five minutes. mr. shimkus: thank you, mr. speaker. i come to the floor again to continue to identify and educate you, mr. speaker, on the various locations where we store high-level nuclear waste around this country and the various positions that our colleagues on the other chamber have voted, either for or

against, in hopes that eventually the public will become well informed and that they will take the actions through their elected officials to do even what the blue ribbon commission suggested which is decide and locate a long-term geological storage facility. now we've -- this is not new. we've been doing it for decades. the nuclear waste policy act was established in 1982. the amendments were passed by this chamber, signed into law in 1987 which identified a long-term geological repository at a place called yucca mountain at a place in the desert in nevada. what i have been tempting to do throughout this -- attempting to do throughout this past year and a half, i chair a subcommittee that has direct responsibility to it, is to identify different locations. we have a place close here. in fact, it's 43 miles from the district of columbia, and that's a place called calvert

cliffs. and i like to compare and contrast it with where we should be storing our long-term -- in a long-term geological repository where our nuclear wastes should be stored -- not in a decade or two from now, but at this very moment where it should be. so calvert cliffs is in maryland, and in calvert cliffs there are 1,300 metric tons of uranium of spent fuel on site. versus yucca mountain which is a mountain in a desert where we have no nuclear waste on site. at calvert cliffs, this nuclear waste, spent nuclear fuel is stored above the ground in pools and in casks. above the ground. where if it was stored in yucca mountain it would be 1,000 feet underground. calvert cliffs, the nuclear

waste is stored 85 feet above the groundwater, where yucca mountain it would be 1,000 feet above the water table. and finally, at yucca mountain, the nearest body of water is the colorado river, 100 miles. whereas you can see in this photo, calvert cliffs is right next to chesapeake bay. now, yucca mountain is about 90 miles from las vegas. maybe 100 miles from las vegas. calvert cliffs is 43 miles from washington, d.c. so what are the senators from the surrounding areas, how have they voted? you would think they wouldn't want nuclear waste stored near chesapeake bay, 43 miles away from d.c. well, senator carper voted no

in 2002. senator coons, new member, we don't know his position. that's part of the -- part of coming down here. i'm pretty sure if the majority leader of the senate would call a vote and this issue was thoroughly debated, it would poons the floor of the senate. because we have a lot of senators who have yet to declare their position. here, senator cardin, former member of the house, voted yeah in 2002 for yucca mountain. senator mikulski, same year, different chamber, voted no. so how does our national tally go? well, currently we have -- we believe 47 u.s. senators who have stated position in support of yucca mountain. we have over 16 that have never cast a vote or declared their position on what we do with high-level nuclear waste. either spent fuel or nuclear waste in the processing of nuclear energy, our nuclear

weapons. we have 19 who've had a position of no at sometime in their career. so it's very, very important to continue this debate, mr. speaker, to continue to come down on the floor to talk about the federal law as is today. the nuclear waste policy act was passed in 1982. the amendment was agreed to in 1987. the amendment identified yucca mountain as our long-term geological repository to store high-level nuclear waste, but time has well past since we should be doing this. in fact, we actually pay utilities to hold the nuclear waste since it's our responsibility to take the waste. so with that, mr. speaker, i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. the chair recognizes the gentlewoman from nevada, ms. berkley, for five minutes. ms. berkley: i ask unanimous consent to address the house

for five minutes and to revise and extend my remarks. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. ms. berkley: i'm here to talk about the buffett bill, but i just cannot allow what mr. shimkus has just said to go unresponded to, because it's such an important issue for the people of the state of nevada. the so-called nuclear acts that he discussed that was passed in 1982 and amended in 1987 is known in nevada as the screw nevada bill, and let me tell you what it is. it's a proposal that would ship 77,000 tons of radioactive nuclear waste across 43 estates to be buried in a hole in the nevada desert where it is 90 miles from a major population center of las vegas where we have groundwater issues, seismic activity and volcanic activity. the e.p.a. cannot come up with any radiation standards that would protect the people of the state of nevada or anyone else in this country. they -- let me tell you originally when they came up

with this nonsensical plan which is purely political has nothing to do with science. they said that we could store the rods, the nuclear waste in yucca mountain with no problem. leave it there. then we realized that that wouldn't work because of the groundwater. so then we decided they would put nuclear waste in canisters. what do you know, there are no canisters that currently exist that can safely store this stuff. so then they came up with shields that would go around the canisters that don't exist to be put into yucca mountain. and then the last republican secretary of energy talked about an army of robots that would walk down yucca mountain and be able to check on the nuclear waste while it's leaking and reaching in the groundwater. it's a ridiculous proposal and it's time to go to plan b because plan a isn't going to happen. 77% of the people of the state

of nevada do not want nuclear waste stored at yucca mountain. end of that. mr. speaker, i rise today to express my deep disappointment with yesterday's vote in the united states senate. once again, senate republicans sided with wall street millionaires against the interest of struggling middle-class families throughout nevada. the buffett rule is simple and it's common sense. it means if you're a housekeeper, a nurse, a black jack dealer, a waitress or any other middle class professional you shouldn't have to pay higher tax rates than multimillionaires who own yachts and travel in private jets. it means if you're a nevadan living paycheck to paycheck you shouldn't be carrying the burden for wall street hedge fund managers and big oil company executives. the senators who voted against basic tax fairness yesterday need to spend a little more time prioritizing the needs of hardworking nevadans.

they're struggling. these are the people that are struggling to put food on the table, to fill up their cars with gas and to pay that are mortgage or rent. the fact that the wealthiest people in this country pay their taxes at a lower tax rate than their secretaries and their chauffeurs doesn't pass the smell test. it stinks and that's why i'm proud to announce that i'm a co-sponsor of the buffett rule in the house, and i urge all of my colleagues to join me and let's bring some fundamental tax fairness to the people of the united states of america. 72% of the american people agree with me that the buffett rule should be made into law, and i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman yields back. the chair recognizes the gentleman from illinois, mr. dold, for five minutes. mr. dold: thank you, mr. speaker. mr. speaker, just minutes ago i had an opportunity to be

outside and see the space shuttle flying around the united states capitol on its way to dulles which brought back memories, certainly those that study history realize back in the 1960 it was president kennedy, president kennedy who said that the united states will take a man and deliver him to the moon and bring him safely back to the earth. which consequently took off the space race at that point in time and literally hundreds of thousands of people became more engaged in science and technology, engineering and mathematics, something i think we need to rekindle today. mr. speaker, i represent one of the largest manufacturing districts in the united states, and when i tour small businesses throughout the 10th district of illinois, employers continually tell me that they got job openings available. yet they can't find people, individuals, workers able to fill those roles, roles that need to be filled by those that have taken science and

technology, engineering and mathematic courses or the stem fields. and the depths of this recession that we are -- have been going through, manufacturing association, 600,000 jobs across our nation went unfilled. they went unfilled because not enough people were trained in the stem fields. these are not low-paying jobs, mr. speaker. these jobs on average pay $77,000 annually. we must empower our students and job seekers to pursue stem education so they can fill these good, high-paying jobs here at home. certainly one of the pillars of my main street jobs agenda is that of stem education. if we can prepare our students and those that are looking for work, we can help empower these people to find good-paying jobs and keep our manufacturing and innovation right here at home. the college of lake county, a

college in my district, have teamed up with local manufacturing to help provide education, education that is necessary in the stem fields for those who are unemployed or wanting to pursue a manufacturing career. . i'm pleased to say that one of the local manufacturers went to the college of lake county and said we are pulling students from iowa and ohio. is there any way you might be able to offer courses here at the college of lake county so that we can start hiring people locally to fill these jobs? they were all too happy to oblige. i took interested students from high schools all across the 10th district to different high-tech organizations in the region. these students learned how they can apply their education firsthand and pursue advanced careers in this field. just last week i hosted the first-ever manufacturing and education summit to bridge the gap between educators and manufacturers. we have folks from high schools

and colleges. we had manufacturers there trying to say what was it that they needed, what were they looking for in students that were going to be graduating from either high school or college. this is exactly what we need to be doing right now. one of the success stories of bridging the gap between education and manufacturing is that of wheeling high school principal dr. lopez. he's worked with local businesses to find out what the actual needs are in the community and offering students options in pursuing a stem education. today dr. lopez has been recognized as starting one of the most successful stem high schools in our country. just this last friday i joined him and other stem students from various high schools around the area while they competed in a stem competition, focusing on nanotechnology and high-powered computing. these are extraordinarily bright students who are better prepared for the 21st century work force. stem education is and should be

a bipartisan idea. i believe that this is an area of common ground and that we should be promoting local efforts all across our nation to help manufacturers fill open jobs and better prepare our emerging work force for 21st century careers. we must not stand idly by and hope this happens, rather we must be pro-active by demonstrating the -- proactive by demonstrating the skets of stem education. science, technology, engineering and mathematics is one way we can help spur our economy to get our country back to work. i would encourage my colleagues to get involved in their local schools, community colleges to find out how they can better prepare students for a career in the 21st century through stem education. it was not too long ago that john kennedy gave us a charge to bring a man to the moon and safely back to this earth. spurring on stem education, we

have to do it again today. we have to make sure that we have that pipeline of students to be able to take jobs right here at home. with that, mr. speaker, i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. the chair recognizes the gentlewoman from texas, ms. jackson lee, for five minutes. ms. jackson lee: i ask unanimous consent to address the house. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. ms. jackson lee: let me thank the speaker for his kindness and yielding this morning, and i join my colleague that just spoke on the vitality and the importance of stem education as a 12-year member of the science committee and i also had a sense of emotion as discovery flew many times over this great institution, democratic institution. that emotion compels me to continue to fight for a place for one of the shuttles in the

hometown of which it was born, the place where john f. kennedy spoke at the rice hotel and inspired us to go into space and that is houston, texas, nasa johnson. i look forward to that continued bipartisan effort to have an appropriate representation of the four shuttles back in houston where they belong. i rise today as well to speak about a number of things and, mr. speaker, i will try to ensure that i include them within the time allotted. but i believe it's important to sort of look at for my colleagues a series of issues. i support the buffett rule not because i believe in any kind of class warfare. i celebrate capitalism and applaud mr. you havette and others, but it's a good -- mr. buffett and others, but it's a good way to help our deficit.

the only thing that the republicans will do is enhance the pocket money of people who don't need it. i will join in a bipartisan way to look at it. i would hope that we would be able in making the tax code fair to bring down the deficit. but the bill that we will see, as i said, will increase the pocket change of millionaires. it will be a job killer. and, of course, it will cut the medicare guarantees of those who have worked hard for their children and grandchildren. i cannot support legislation that isn't fair and balanced and i would plea to my colleagues to find the middle ground of fair tax code, bringing down the deficit. i would encourage them to look at h.r. 3710, an energy bill, myself who practiced oil and

gas law for 15 years. it addresses the question of the wetlands. it uses exploration dollars to bring down the deficit and it allows an expanded exploration in the gulf region. process that has been vetted by many energy organizations, energy companies and they believe that is a bipartisan approach. h.r. 3710 is ready for the combined work of all of us. i also believe it's important to speak about the value of education in several ways, and i'm here today to join h.r. -- proudly so, students who carry the bulk of the debt in america , credit debt, students who are simply trying to do as my colleague just said, study the

science, technology, engineering and mathematics in about 74 days, the interest rates on stafford loans will double, triple to 6.8%. you may have borrowed at 2% and here we are talking about it going up to 6.8%. i with every fiber in my body stand against that. i stand with students, parents and schools, we must have a legislative action to stop that stealing of money from our children who are simply trying to be in the best colleges, state colleges to be educated. parents, wake up. in 74 days the interest rates on your children's loans are going up to 6.8%. call our offices. get on our website. beg us to h.r. 3826 by my good friend, mr. courtney from connecticut. please, i beg of you, and i will be there with you from the texas southern university to the university of houston to

houston baptist to the houston community college, we are going to work this. let me also move very quickly, mr. speaker, to the fact this is the fifth commemoration of the terrible killings of texas tech, and this congress have been charged of being fearful with dealing with gun legislation. over the years i have introduced the child gun safety and gun access bill. i have in fact supported bills dealing with gun checks, to close gun loopholes at gun shows. i supported bills to stop the proliferation of assault weapons. not bills against the second amendment, but bills that would have stopped mr. zimmerman walking around with a .09 millimeter and he was only supposed to be the eyes and ears of his neighborhood. mr. speaker, i join in a bipartisan manner, even to the extent of saying we must clean up the secret service. i support mr. sullivan and even clean up the g.s.a., because

gilbain have refused to be diversed to the c.e.o. of gilbane. this congressperson you need to call, you are an unfair company and you're using federal dollars through the g.s.a. in an inappropriate way. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman's time has expired. ms. jackson lee: mr. speaker, i thank you and i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman yields back. the chair recognizes the gentleman from new jersey, mr. garrett, for five minutes. mr. garrett: mr. speaker, i come to the floor today with a heavy heart, sadness as we honor another fallen soldier. also to honor the life and legacy of staff sergeant joseph augustine. a young man from waldwick, new jersey. the young man was killed just recently on march 27, 2012, while conducting combat

operations in afghanistan. you know, it was just one day, one day after graduating from high school this young man enlisted in the united states marine corps. after that he was assigned to the eighth engineer support battalion, the second marine logistics group, second marine expeditionary force, and all this time he served over two years or two tours of duty, i should say, in iraq and he was just two weeks away, only two weeks away from completing this his second tour of duty in afghanistan. staff sergeant augustine worked as an explosive ordnance disposal tech. what does that mean? that means he went ahead of the other soldiers, of the other marines, of the other sailors, of the other airmen and he was the one that cleared the way for them so they could go on

and do their work. and so it was with this greatest act, sacrifice possible staff sergeant augustine, he gave his life while protecting his fellow men and women in uniform. he was just 29 years old. now, we're never going to know the numerous number of lives that he was able to save in his work. but, you know, the tremendous outpouring of love and support that we have seen for his family in the days since his death perhaps provided maybe a glimpse into the number of people that he touched in his short life. there are those people who knew him best, his parents, anthony and patricia, his sisters, nicole, jennifer, michelle, to his brother-in-law, lynn. to all them he was a loving

son, loving brother, and he will be remembered as such. through his many friends that he grew up with and in high school and what have you, he's remembered as a good guy, a friend, by his nickname, through his fellow marines, he is remembered as, what, brother in arms in the service, and to all of us here now who may be hearing his name for the first time through america, through americans he will be remembered as a patriot. as a man who loved his country, who loved the marine corps, a man who gave his life for all of us, for protecting our freedoms and our liberties in this country. let us remember this young man. with that i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. the chair recognizes the gentlewoman from california, ms. lee, for five minutes. ms. lee: thank you, mr. chairman.

as co-founder and co-chair of the congressional out-of-poverty caucus, i rise today to continue talking about the tide of poverty that impacts every single district all across our country. i rise to call on all of my colleagues to come together to reignite the american dream for all americans by helping to create the millions of new jobs that they so desperately need. mr. speaker, social security, medicare and the critical benefits to feed hungry children in america do not cause our deficit. our nation's debt is a direct result of the republicans two unfunded wars, their failed economic policies and the totally failed oversight of the financial smbts sector by the bush administration -- services sector by the bush administration regulators. and the superrich and their corporations will only make the deficit worse and will do nothing to grow our economy. mr. speaker, let's not pass

another $46 billion loophole for the wealthy 1%. mr. cantor's h.r. 9 is yet another tax holiday that would only increase the deficit and will fail to create new jobs. we should be passing laws to protect the health and safety of our nation's most vulnerable, like our children and our seniors. we must pass laws that provide some relief for the millions of americans still struggling to find a good job. mr. speaker, any so-called jobless recovery where you and your family are still out of work is really no recovery at all. that is why we simply cannot seek to balance the budget on the backs of the poor and our seniors and struggling families across america. the republican budget, the ryan budget seeks to do just that. actually, the republican budget really is not serious about balancing the budget at all. their budget guts, mind you, guts food stamps for our

families in the time of such desperate needs. it cripples medicaid and ends medicare as we know it today. their budget make these draconian cuts, not to balance the budget, but give tax giveaways to millionaires and to massive corporations. mr. speaker, we can do better than blame the poor and the powerless for the greed and the corruption of the rich and powerful. we can do better and we must do better for all of the american people. and we can protect the most vulnerable americans, grow our economy and reduce our deficit. critical programs like the pickup lamental nutrition assistance programs, better known as snap, not only feeds hungry children and families but it supports the overall economy. every dollar of snap benefits generates $1.84 in the economic -- in our economic activity. it reduces long-term health care costs, improve the educational performance of

children and helps stabilize and improve the long-term economic outcomes of the families who receive these benefits. all of those positive outcomes help boost the entire economy from top to bottom. if people are able to buy a little more in the grocery store, someone has to grow it, pack it and ship it. all of those things lead directly to more jobs. so making cuts on struggling families during hard times is not only heartless and mean and immoral, but it also makes no sense because it doesn't reduce the deficit. mr. speaker, there is a proposal to get our fiscal house in order even while we protect american families and invest in the stronger and more prosperous future. the congressional progressive caucus budget, the budget for all, would do just that. this budget makes smart and targeted cuts that preserve our national security, protects social security and medicare and extend and expand critical

unemployment benefits for millions of americans, including those who have hit 99 weeks where they're no longer eligible, these are the people still struggling to find a good job. the budget for all would ask that the wealthiest 1% and the world's biggest corporations pay their fair share so we can afford to invest in our children's future and grow our economy. america cannot afford another year of inaction and bills that are for the narrowed interest. let's pass the president's jobs act and fund our nation's critical infrastructure priorities, fund green public transportation projects and create real jobs. it's time we all come together to put americans back to work. thank you and i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman yields back. the chair recognizes the gentleman from pennsylvania, mr. fitzpatrick, for five minutes.

mr. fitzpatrick: thank you for letting me rise today to honor tom heble who on april 19 will receive the heritage conservency 2012 business conservation award. he's been part of the land and historic preservation mission for over 10 years and all in bucks county appreciate his efforts. upon graduating from penn state university tom worked his way up to become manager of a small landscaping contracting company called royier nurseries in 1981. with hard work and dedication, tom helped the little company expand by adding a garden shop, two hoop style green houses, a gravel parking lot. tom acquired ownership of the business in 1993 and changed the name to bucks country gardens. with innovative craftsmanship,

the business rapidly expanded and many claimed it to be the best garden center in bucks county. today the garden center totals approximately 24,000 square feet of enclosed space and it occupies nearly seven acres. it is home to a full service lifestyle center and a landscape design firm. the company has provided top of the line service to its customers and will continue to sfrife to achieve the best -- strife to achieve the best for its -- strive to achieve for its employees because of tom. he's used the best of his knowledge and resources to better bucks county as a strong advocate. he's a distinguished small business owner and a life-long contributor to the beautification of bucks county. i congratulate tom today on this well deserved recognition and wish him many years of continued success. thank you, mr. speaker, and i yield back. . the speaker pro tempore: the

chair recognizes the gentleman from georgia, mr. johnson, for five minutes. mr. johnson: thank you, mr. speaker. mr. speaker, all americans and i being one of them hope for justice in the trayvon martin case, but i stand here today because we must stop stacking the deck against all innocent americans. over 10,000 americans died of preventable deaths by gun violence last year. 10,000. and over 2,000 of those, mr. speaker, were children. many of those children were inner city youth and many of the victims were -- died at the hands of inner city perpetrate -- perpetrators. trayvon martin's case is a little different but it is another sad addition to these statistics which are very

tragic. but his case caught the attention of the american people and it illuminates problems in our society. this is indeed, ladies and gentlemen, a teachable moment. the martin's family fight for basic justice has been delayed by florida's shoot first and ask questions later law. which incidentally is misnamed as the stand your ground law. and it grants criminals and civil immunity regardless of the facts when individuals take the law into their own hand. we call this vigilantism. florida's la like -- law like so many similar laws, in 25 of the 50 states is the result of collusion by some of the nation's wealthiest corporations

in conjunction with the national rifle association through a secretive networking organization called the american legislative exchange council. also known as alec. alec promotes mod legislation written by its corporate members and distributed to state lawmakers around the country. the public whose votes elech these lawmakers to represent them are kept in the dark about the fact that their representative is a member of this network of special interest groups. and of core proot -- corporate interests that wine and dine and support these lawmakers' campaigns with campaign contributions. any lawmaker who is a member of the group can log on to its website and i would encourage you to do so, too. and if you're a member you can find hundreds of model bills to

copy and introduce in your legislature the public, however, is not able to access that information because you must be a member and in order to be a member you got to go through some kind of a screening process so that they can make sure that you are of like mind because they don't want any infiltrators in there. they want to keep the business secret. small lawmakers -- excuse me, small members -- membership fees for legislators are very small, $50 a year. whereas the corporate members have to pay tens of thousands of dollars per year for their memberships. and these memberships are mostly big lobby interest groups, big corporate lobby interest group and what they do when they get

into these meetings that they hold at exclusive resort location, luxurious amenities, wining and dining these legislators, they spoon-feed them legislation which supports their, the business', interests. now 60% of the legislators in the united states of american on the state level secretly belong to alec. they are members of that network. thousands of these alec bills have been introduced around the country and many of them have passed. this gives the alec members secret and persuasive influence

over our legislators who we elect to represent us. the florida shoot first or in other words, stand your ground is what it's called, but it's actually the shoot first law was written by an n.r.a., national rifle association lobbyist, in one ever those committees that the bought and payed for -- paid for leage late shall shall shall -- legislators -- the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman's time has expired. mr. johnson: i will have further comment on this as days go by. the american public needs to be educated about this. so we will talk further about it. and i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. pursuant to clause 12-a of rule 1, the chair declares the house in recess

inside, you'll find each member of the house and senate including information and committee assignments. information on cabinet members, supreme court justices, and the governors. you can pick up a copy for $12.95 plus shipping and handling. >> injury selection began in the

retrial of former major league pitcher roger clemens charged prosecutors as knowingly lied to congress on performance enhancing drug use in baseball. >> let me read to you what his wife said, "off in 1999 or 2000, he told me he had a conversation with roger clemens in which rogers admitted to him using human growth hormone." are remind you that you are under oath. you said this conversation never happened. if that is true, why would she remember you telling and the about the conversation? >> i think he misremembers the conversation that we had. andy and i pops relationship was close enough that if i would have known he did the drug, if

he was knowing that i had taken it, we have talked about the subject. he came to me to talk about the effects of it. >> watch his testimony on line with over 25 years of politics and public affairs on your computer. >> pictures of dulles airport outside washington, d.c., where the space shuttle discovery finished a fly over of the dc area marking the end of the shuttle program. it landed just moments ago. it will go on display as a part of the national air and space museum near dulles airport in virginia. the fly over started at about 9:40 a.m. eastern. they were able to spot it from roadsides and the top of office buildings.

it passed the washington monument and the white house at least once circling the area before landing at dulles airport. >> proceed eastbound and work your way through. >> we're going to go little bit to the north here. >> go ahead and enter. >> ok. we are all set. >> ok, proceed east. >> thanks. >> thank you.

>> go ahead and make a right turn between the parallels. it had a right at the tower. the aircraft will probably not be a factor. >> we wanted to get a few photos of the towers. we will allow that. >> that's fine. proceed right at me. >> general tower, news 1. >> proposition landing for fuel. >> will you now had to signature? >> affirmative.

i am unfamiliar where they parked helicopter with this type of crowd. >> cleared to land in 19. >> 19 left, news 1. >> copy the run out lock, news 1. >> get the ground on, for news on. >> 34-23 is confirmed. clear to land. >> direct it to manassas tower. >> proceed. >> we are all set once we get

this on the ground. >> keeps everything tight in the proximity of the tower because they are landing at center and right. >> thank you. >> photograph, contacts manassas tower. >> helicopter rate 800 feet. >> i need you to move over to the east side, east of the one center route, regardless of what

you have not found. we are east of rte. 28. >> east of 28, 10-4. >> dulles towercam clear to land. execute can hover-tax in, go to 21 for more assistance. -- if you can hover-taxi in. >> 1340 at 1-2. clear to land.

what's rotate counterclockwise. >> i needed to clear to the east. too much of the airspace is taken up with the events. clear to the east shore north. i cannot have the right over the airports anymore. >> 10-4.

>> clear to the east. contact washington tower. >> 10-5. thanks. >> 45-99. >> 221, cleared to land on the

right. >> cleared to land on the right. one-one. turnup tequila four. -- turn left at kilo-4

. >> 456 charlie, your discretion had it to the northeast.

>> not on the final. we are 1 mile east at this time. adding is 30 to 5. -- heading is 3025. final is packed. could be a half hour. could be an hour. on course, remain clear. >> clear the frieze for secure.

>> the space shuttle discovery at dulles international airport and now to president obama making it planned to increase oversight in the oil market. >> lightly, i have been speaking about our need for an all the above strategy for american oil, a strategy that produces more oil and gas at home but produces more mileage in fuel efficient cars, more solar, wind power, and other sources of clean it renewable energy. the strategy is not just the right thing for our economic growth, but the right way for us to reduce our dependence on foreign oil right now. the the right way for us to put people to work right now. it is ultimately the right way

to stop spikes in gas prices that we put up with every single year, the same increase as we have seen over the last few months. obviously, rising gas prices means a rough ride for a lot of american families. you try to get to school, get to work, do the grocery shopping. you have to be able to fill up that the gas tank and there are families in certain parts of the country that have no choice but to drive at 50 or 60 miles to get to their job. so when gas prices go up, it is an additional tax that comes right out of their pocket. that is one reason we passed the panel tax cut at the beginning of this year a major extended so that the average american is getting that average $40 in every paycheck right now. i think everybody understands there are no quick fixes to this problem. there are politicians to say

that we just drove more that gas prices would come down right away. what they do not say is that we have been drilling more. my administration is producing more oil than at any time in the last eight years. we have opened a new areas for exploration and quadrupled the number of operating rigs to record high. we have enough oil and gas pipelines to circle the earth and then some. as i have said, we use 20% of the world's oil and lead to% of the proven reserves. even if we drilled every square inch of this country right now, we would still have to rely disproportionately and other countries for their oil which means we pay more when there is instability in the middle east or growing demand in countries like china or india. that is what's happening right now, those global trends affecting gas prices. even as we are tackling issues of supply and demand, even as we are looking at the long term in

terms of how we can structurally make ourselves less reliant on foreign oil, we still need to work extra hard to protect consumers from factors that should not effect the price of a barrel of oil. that includes doing everything we can to ensure that an irresponsible few are not able to hurt consumers by illegally manipulating the energy markets for their round game. -- for their own gain. we cannot afford speculator is manipulating markets by buying up we'll come creating the perception of a shortage -- buying up oil, creating the perception of a shortage. some speculators can reap millions while millions of american families get the short end of the stick. that is not the way the market should work. for anyone who thinks this

cannot happen, think about and ron -- enron manipulated the prices of electricity. my administration has already taken several actions to step up oversight of oil markets and closed dangerous the polls -- loopholes allowing some of them to work in the shadows. we have closed the so-called enron loophole for electronic or overseas platforms. we said, for the first time, that federal regulators will make sure no single trader can buy such a large position in oil that they could easily manipulate the market on their own. i point out anyone pledging to roll back wall street reform, dodd-frank, would roll back this vital consumer protection along with it. i have asked attorney general

holder to work with german leibowitz of the federal trade commission, chairman gensler, to make sure that acts of fraud and other illegal activities are not behind increases in the price that consumers pay at the pump. today, we are announcing new steps to strengthen oversight of energy markets. these are things we can do administratively and we are doing them. i call on congress to pass a package of measures to crack down on illegal activity and hold accountable those who manipulate the market for private gains at the expense of millions of working families. let me be specific. first, congress should provide immediate funding to put more cops on the beat to monitor activity in energy markets. this funding would upgrade technology so that our surveillance and enforcement officers are not hampered by

less significant tools. we should strengthen protections, not gut them. chairman gnesler had a good analogy. imagine if the nfl quadruple the number of teams but did not increase the number of referees. you would have havoc on the field that it would diminish the game. it would not be fair. that is part of what is going on in a lot of these markets. we have to properly resources enforcement. second, congress should increase the civil and criminal penalties for illegal market manipulation and other activities. my plan would toughen these penalties tenfold and impose these not just for violation but for every day a violation occurs. third, congress should give the agency responsible for

overseeing the oil markets the authority to protect against volatility, excess speculation, by making sure that traders can pose margins, meaning they have the money to make good on their trades. congress should do all this right away. 82 weeks ago, congress had the chance to stand up for families paying an extra premium at the pump and convector republicans voted to keep spending those americans hard-earned tax dollars on more unnecessary subsidies for big oil companies, so here is a chance to make amends. , a chance to do something that will protect consumers by increasing oversight of energy markets. but to be something that everybody, no matter their party, should agree with. i hope americans will ask the members of congress to step up. in the meantime, my administration will take new executive action to investigate trading activities and quickly

implement tough consumer protections under wall street reform. let me close by saying that none of these steps, by themselves, will bring gas prices down overnight. it will prevent market manipulation and make sure we are looking out for american consumers. in the meantime, we will keep pursuing and all of the above strategy pro-american energy to break the cycle of price spikes year after year. we're going to keep producing biofuel, fuel-efficient cars, tapping into every source of american-made energy. these have already helped america be on a greater path for energy independence. our dependence on foreign oil has actually decreased every year i've been in office, even as the economy has grown. american now imports less than half of the oil we use for the first time in more than a decade. we are less vulnerable than we

work, but we are still too vulnerable. we need to continue the hard sustained work on this issue and as long as i'm president, we will put our bets on america's future, america's workers, america's ingenuity, and american-made energy. that is how we will solve this problem once and for all. thank you, everybody. [captioning performed by national captioning institute] [captions copyright national cable satellite corp. 2012] what president obama wrapping up in the white house rose garden as we go back to pictures of the space shuttle discovery as it has landed a short moment ago. today marked the end with a fly

over of the washington, d.c., area circling the monument, white house, capital, and the pentagon before landing at dulles airport in virginia. it is preparing to go on display at the smithsonian center shortly as a part of the national air and space museum near dulles airport in virginia. >> pluto 9-a would like as expeditious a landing as possible due to fuel. >> that may not be the best run way because we will be landing fall. >> ok. we can work pretty much anything out with them to get them landed, but we will just keep them in the pattern and get them in as fast as possible. >> appreciate that. >> wind is 340 at 1-4. >> thank you.

>> i may be moving you midfield after the 747 lands just to get them down because they are fuel critical. >> we'll be ready. >> ok.

>> news one, the escort will make a right turn. we will try to get them on the ground. he may be passing below you on an east down wind. 2,000.toyou to stay at pluto, maintain at or below 1500 and right downwind 1 center. clear to land as soon as you tell me you can break out.

>> cross and head right at my tower. hold in front of it, to the north. >> moving to tower, holding north.

>> pluto 95, heavy. turn left and contact ground. >> ground point 9. pluto 95 heavy. >> clear to land center at 1-4. >> gears down, pluto.

>> scotty, i know you hear me. >> if you want to head east, that's good with us. >> i'd like to get pictures of the aircraft. where is echo tango? >> crossing at low altitude. >> we'll keep our eyes open. >> echo tango, you see where the other heli is flying? >> the other is east hodling

with a wide angle lens. >> shadow now. >> ok thanks. >> if you copy, he just going to shadow the rest of the taxi. >> we'd like to do the same thing. give him a nice wide berth. >> proceed as requested. >> pluto, right exit.contact ground 1.2345.

>> 5936 approaching to the left side. >> cleared to land right 1.

>> tower, go ahead. at 1-4. plot 1-4. requested. tell me the route you want to fly again. roger. fly published altitudes.

3331 1 right clear to land. >> photo, proceed eastbound and we will get you moving towards manassas. >> go ahead. if the shuttle stocks, we would like to get ahead of it to get a straight on soda. is that now? >> probably yes. let me coordinate with the other tower. let me tell them.

>> the u.s. house is set to reconvene in 10 minutes at noon eastern with debate on legislation to expand hunting, fishing, and recreational shooting. also allow hunters to import polar bears when they were listed as endangered. members return at noon eastern here on c-span. today is the deadline to file federal tax returns. on facebook, housekeeping, "do you pay your fair share in taxes -- asking if you pay ouyour fair share. a republican primary today for gabrielle giffords vacated seat. he was injured in the shooting targeting ms. giffords. on the republican side, four

candidates including a former marine who lost the 2010 race by just two percentage points. the republican candidate will face off against the democratic nominee to fill the seat. competitionstudent asked students, what are the constitution is important to you and why? the second prize winner selected the eighth amendment. >> your state has executed 234 death row inmate, more than any other government -- state in modern times. >> did you just hear that? >> let's take a second look. >> your state has executed 234

death row inmates, more than any other governor in modern times. [applause] >> when i see this clip, when people can get the joy in a loss of life is sad. >> if you commit heinous crimes, you deserve the ultimate punishment. >> we debate three questions concerning the death penalty. >> is it moral? >> is it racist? >> does technology make it safer? >> is the death penalty morally right or wrong? >> the eighth panel -- the eighth amendment says excessive bail shall not be required, nor excessive fines imposed, nor cruel and unusual punishment. >> why does the death penalty not count as cruel and unusual

punishment? >> no american ever voted to adopt a contest -- a constitutional amendment and eliminated it as an option. the living constitution vests will say that times have changed and it is up to meet to determine what is cruel and unusual. that is a constitution that has no bite. >> we wanted to introduce someone from the innocence project and she agreed the constitution does not out right call the death penalty crew and unusual punishment. >> supreme court has found that the death penalty is fine under the constitution. so far, the supreme court has found the death penalty does not meet that. there have been instances where certain executions have been challenged. we have moved forward in terms of the supreme court has said

that it is unconstitutional to execute juvenile. it is unconstitutional to execute people who are mentally retarded. in the past decade or so, the supreme court has moved in that direction. >> there is a narrow class of punishments that should not be available for those of mental retardation because despite the differences, all people have certain inherent cognitive limitations. >> let's look at the second question. as the death penalty racist? >> they will not deny any person within the jurisdiction the equal protection of the law. >> the problem with the death penalty but in america and probably anywhere in the world is probably that we are a system of human beings and there's absolutely no way to insure that

we are always right when we identify the perpetrator of crimes. there was no way to apply the death penalty, at least in the system am currently as a fair and equal. >> mopes people to get executed in a leavetexas and the u.s. kill somebody who is white, to interrupt my tirade with a statistics. but their victims in equal numbers in the u.s. in the history of the modern death penalty in the u.s., 80% of those who have been executed were executed for killing a white person. that tells you everything you need to know about whether the death penalty regime as racist. >> i feel that should not be applied. >> people are going to think it's racist.

why should we have the death penalty? we just need to make sure we have the right perpetrator and have solid evidence to convict. >> i and stand where you're coming from, but there is a big difference. a ticket you can pay, is sentence you can appeal, but you can never take a life back. statistics show the murder rates. we wanted to know what parents, teachers, and staff members thought about whether the death penalty makes a statement. >> that's a very intense question. itmmy heart tells me no, but my mind sometimes tells me yes. as a mother, when a big about something happening to my children, my first thought is that they should pay for it. >> do support the death penalty? >> there is a moral principle

that we have no right to take a life away. >> if it fits the crime, you must do the time, or what ever the saying is. >> i would say no. i would hate to be convicted of a crime, be innocent, and then be on a death row. >> we sure that people can be executed wrongly. >> people rallied around the case and began to really think about how it is that a society, such as ours, can execute a potentially innocent man. where american could finally join the ranks of those that have barred this barbaric punishment. >> have you struggled to sleep

at night with the idea that any one of those may have been innocent? >> no, sir. i've never struggled with that at all. when someone commits a heinous crime, they get a fair hearing. they go through an appellate process. they go up to the supreme court of united states if required. in the state of texas, to come in our state and you kill one of their children, you kill a police officer, you are involved in another crime and you kill one of our citizens, you will face the ultimate justice in the state of taxes and that is that you will be executed. -- in the state of texas. >> is it right or wrong? >> is it cruel and unusual punishment or justice? >> go to studentcam.org to watch all the videos and you can continue the conversation on our

facebook and twitter pages. >> jury selection began in the retrial of a former major league pitcher roger clemens charged with knowingly lie and to congress in 2008 on performance enhancing drug use in baseball. >> let me read to you what his wife said in her affidavit. "i do dipose and state in 1999 or 2000, andy told me he had a conversation with roger clemens in which he admitted to having used human growth hormones." mr. clemens, once again, i remind you you are under oath. you said your conversation never happened. if that was true, why would his wife remember and the telling her about the conversation? >> once again, i think he misremembers the conversation that we had. our relationship is close enough to know that if i would have

known that he had done hgh, which i know now -- now know, we would have talked about this subject and he had come to me to talk about the results. >> you can watch on line in the c-span video library with over 25 years of public affairs and politics on your computer. >> and now live to the floor of the u.s. house. they are set to debate legislation expanding hunting, fishing, on federal land. the house will likely take a pie with mass-transit legislation and a bill dealing with taxes on small businesses. now, live coverage of the u.s. house on c-span. the speaker: the house will be in order. the prayer will be offered by

our chaplain, father conroy. chaplain conroy: let us pray. god of the universe, we give you thanks for giving us another day . we thank you for this proud day, for all americans, and for the human race. when the space shuttle "discovery" passed through the capitol's restricted air space for so many to appreciate with awe, the symbol of our nation's ability to achieve great things when our will is harnessed. may that national will once again coalesce within the walls of this great assem pli. we are humbled by the enormity of this task and know well the difficulty of its attainment. bless abundantly the members of this people's house with wisdom and great -- grace and perhaps heroism that what is most needed by our nation would emerge in the business of the house and

the energies that divide would be dissipated. may all that is done this day be for your greater honor and glory, amen. the speaker: the chair has examined the journal of the last day's proceedings and announces to the house his approval thereof. the journal stands approved. the pledge of allegiance today will be led by the gentlelady from california, ms. hahn. ms. hahn: i pledge allegiance to the flag of the united states of america and to the republic for which it stands, one nation, under god, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. the speaker: the chair will entertain up to 15 one-minute questions on each side. for what purpose does the gentleman from arkansas rise? without objection, so ordered. >> thank you, mr. speaker. i rise today to honor the memory

of betty rose pachelle. her memory will continue to live on with her beloved family and friends. she was married for over 45 years, they had three children, george, jackie and mark. betty was a devoted mother, grandmother and great-grandmother of 10. she began her 50-year career as or begannist at the age of 15 -- organist at the age of 15. she was an accomplished pianist. over the years betty served countless organizations as an -- she had love for the arts as well. she also loved to garden. betty was an avid golfer and for over 0 years she assisted pro golfers in the annual shell open golf tournament. my thwarts and prayers are with betty's families. while her presence will be missed, her example will be a guide for family and friends. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from ohio seek recognition? >> address the house for one minute. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman seek unanimous consent? the gentleman is recognized for one minute.

mr. kucinich: on tax day, remember the ramifications of waging wars abroad. in 2011 39% of our income tax dollars went to the pentagon and war. only 9% for trade, commerce, education and employment programs. the center of arms control proliferation estimates the war in iraq and afghanistan cost the average american family of four almost $13,000 in 2011 alone. national employment -- national unemployment rates continue to be between 9% and 10% while our families struggle to pay their mortgages and send their kids to school and feed their family. compared to the approximately $159 billion budgeted in fiscal year 2011 for wars, the $6 billion congress budgeted for the work force investment act primary federal program supporting work force development is paltry. with nearly 23 million americans either unemployed or underemployed and about 5.5 million who have been unemployed

for 27 weeks or more, wake up, america, wars are ruining our economy. on tax day, remember our government has a responsibility to use our money wisely, not to waste hard-earned tax dollars on unnecessary wars. the answer to war and economic decline is peace and prosperity. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from indiana seek recognition? >> i ask unanimous consent to address the house for one minute. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized for one minute. >> i recently conducted a survey on my website regarding gas prices because i wanted to hear from my constituents how higher gas prices are affecting their lives and i received over 880 responses. henry told me he owned a car wash and when people are paying $40 extra for gas, they aren't paying for a car wash. affecting his small business and his employees. rob lives in a rural part of the state and he and his wife are forced to drive 30 miles to get to work. a $1 increase for a began of gas can cost them up to -- for a gallon of gas can cost them per

year. an overwhelming majority of responders believe we should expand our domestic oil production to become more energy independent. after paying $3.91 per gallon in evansville, indiana, last week, i agree. mr. bucshon: domestic oil production has decreased by 7% on federal lands. in january, 2009, gas was $1.83 per gallon. it's an average of $3.86 per gallon today. under this administration, they have risen over 100%, the highest for any president. i urge the president and the senate to act on the nine bills the house has passed to reduce energy costs an help reduce gas prices for all americans. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentlelady from california seek recognition? does the gentlelady seek unanimous consent? does the gentlelady seek unanimous consent? the gentleman is recognize -- the gentlelady is recognized. ms. hahn: thank you, mr. speaker. before we left two weeks ago, my republican friends attempted to enact their budget. a budget that would have ended

medicare as we know it. shifting costs to seniors and raising their health care costs by $6,000 a year. a budget that would cut taxes for the wealthiest americans and multinational corporations by $4.6 trillion. a budget that would flash med -- slash medicaid, food stamps and pell grants for our students. thankfully the senate has said no. and now instead of reaching across the aisle, instead of working with us to pass bipartisan transportation and job legislation, republicans are pushing legislation to allow the importation of animal remains. yes, that's how we're spending our valuable time today. considering laws to allow hunters to bring back polar bear heads. really? i will vote again against this budget and i ask my republican friends to let go of their tricks, concentrate on what's important and work with us to create jobs. thank you. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from south carolina seek

recognition? mr. wilson: mr. speaker, i ask unanimous consent to address the house for one minute, revise and extend my remarks. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. wilson: mr. speaker, the president's proposal of the buffett rule tax increase is just another political gimmick, rejected by the senate. which is targeted at small business owners. with our nation's record unemployment rate of over 8% throughout the last three years, it is clear the president's policies are destroying jobs and chilling economic growth. and last week -- in last week's "the washington post," it was written, quote, the buffett rule is nothing but a form of redistribution that has little to do with debt reduction and everything to do with re-election, end of quote. the president is using the buffett rule tax increase as a way to distract americans from focusing on his failure to implement policies that will create jobs. house republicans remain focused on reducing barriers that are discouraging job creation.

i urge my colleagues in the senate and the president to put party politics aside and work with house republicans to enact policies that will help create jobs for american familyless. in conclusion, god bless our troops and we will never forget september 11 and the global war on terrorism. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from california seek recognition? the gentleman is recognized. mr. baca: today the house will vote on a rule that once again moves forward the misguided republican budget. the american people cannot afford the misguided budget which devastates seniors and working families. the republican budget ends medicare guarantees, shifting the high cost to our seniors. that's a no-no. turns medicare into private voucher system. that's a no-no. increases prescription drugs for american seniors. the american people deserve better, than to be left out in the cold with cuts to medicare, snap and our educational

programs. after a long life, service to our nation, our seniors deserve a strong safety net. let's stop and ask ourselves, who actually benefits from the misguided budget? millionaires and billionaires and oil companies who would receive a $3 trillion in new tax breaks. that should be a no-no. let's stop the sameful budget and work -- shameful budget and work together on a plan that does not favor the rich over seniors and middle class. i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from indiana seek recognition? the gentleman is recognized. >> as i traveled across indiana, it's clear that hoosier families are hurting. 8.4% unemployment and nearly $4-per-gallon gasoline at the pump when they go to fill up

their cars and trucks. it's time for this congress to come together in a bipartisan way and adopt an all-of-the-above energy policy. mr. pence: that will include more access to america's energy reserves, more alternative energy sources and greater conservation. the encouraging news is that this house has passed bipartisan legislation to do just that. we've voted to stream line the energy permitting process, lift the administration's ban on new offshore drilling in the gulf and the east coast, plane the e.p.a.'s energy tax and even require the administration to approve and complete the entire keystone x.l. pipeline natural gas pipeline. unfortunately the senate and the administration have not embraced these bipartisan, commonsense measures to advance our energy independence. the reality is that the price at the pump is more -- has more than doubled from the $1.79 per gallon when the president took

office to what it is today. hoosiers know what all americans know. we can do better than $4 a gallon, but we need to embrace bipartisan, all-of-the-above energy policy to do it. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentlelady from new york seek recognition? does the gentlelady seek unanimous consent? the gentlelady is recognized. >> instead of being called the road to prosperity, the republican budget should have been named the road to austerity. malmal because it is the plan -- mrs. maloney: because it is a plan that is most noteworthy for the harsh austerity it demains -- demands of the many and the lavish benefit it extends to the few. nobel laureate has called this budget proposal the most fraudulent budget in u.s. history. calling its priorities inconceivably cruel. our recent economic history has shown that while republican budget might pull well, they do

not perform well. the bush budget produced stagnant income growth for the middle class, a jobless recovery and a huge deficit. the ryan republican plan is the bush budget plan on steroids. if we look at what actually worked in the past, the single best model for growing jobs, sustaining economic growth and reducing the deficit can be found in the eight years of the clinton administration. which created 22 million jobs, eraced the deficit and left this country with a huge surplus. a more balanced approach to deaf -- approach, the deficit reduction will work for every. let's pass a budget based on fact, not fiction. pass the democratic budget. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from florida seek recognition >> --? >> i ask unanimous consent to revise and extend. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. >> mr. speaker, on may 18, 2006, then senator obama gave a speech where he mentioned a this --

that a number of our veterans had been apparently shortchanged. he went on to say, quote quhrks a young man or woman goes off, serves their country in the military, they should be treated with the utmost dignity and respect when they come home, end quote. but unfortunately the president's budget proposal seeks to further increase the cost for health care for our military retirees and all of our veterans. on october 1, 2011, tricare prime annual enrollment fees were increased dreament dramatically for new family enrollments. mr. stearns: and dramatically for new individual enrollments. in fiscal year 2013, the administration proposes additional fees and cost-sharing increases, a new annual enrollment fee for tricare for life, increases in pharmacy co-payments and a catastrophic cap of $3,000 per family. mr. speaker when our president promised our service members change, i'm sure they didn't expect it would be shortchanged.

the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentlelady from hawaii seek recognition? >> i ask unanimous consent to address the house. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady is recognized. >> thank you, mr. speaker. many of us who are back in our districts for two weeks, i had town halls like i'm sure many of my colleagues did. and i'm sure they probably heard what i heard. we call them [speaking foreign language] in hawaii. that means elderly. they're concerned about their medicare. they're concerned about their socials, their safety net, which we provide. and the reason why is because they've done everything, everything on their part, to make us the great nation that we are today. today's space shuttle flying over the capital was a great statement. mr. hanna: that shows you what an -- ms. hanabusa: that shows you what an amazing country we are. we should ask ourselves, why can't we keep our word to our elders? why can't we keep our promises?

why can't we in our greatness ensure, ensure that they will be comforted, comforted in their senior years? why? why? fundamental questions, just show the compassion and fairness that should make us the greatest country in the world. thank you, mr. speaker, i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from virginia seek recognition? >> i ask unanimous consent to address the house for one minute. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. moran: mr. speaker, we pick up the politico today and the headline is, republicans axe aid to the poor. it goes on to explain that there's a $33 billion cut in the romney-ryan republican budget that passed the house in food stamps so an average family of four gets an 11% cut. and it requires households

exhaust most of their liquid assets before qualifying for heart. it hits hardest among the long-term unplowed until they spent down their savings to less than $2,000. and they are going to do another tax cut this week that majority leader cantor wants to cut taxes by another $46 billion in fact the majority of it goes to less than 3% of all taxpayers. and less than 8% of business owners. it's available to highly paid professionals, long lobby firms, professional sports teams, entertainers, paris hilton, kim kardashian, they all get another tax cut. where is our sense of justice? where is our priorities? where is our common sense? thank you, mr. speaker. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman's time has expired. for what purpose does the gentleman from new jersey seek recognition? does the gentleman seek unanimous consent? the gentleman is recognized.

mr. pallone: mr. speaker, i rise today to address the sportsman heritage act of 2012 and its provision to deem the reconciliation of the republican budget. in fact, it was the republican leadership that stood right here on the house floor and emphatically claimed they were committed to not using deeming resolution when is they were in the majority. here we are today and that's exactly what they are doing. i guess it's not terribly surprising that they would break their commitment, especially when we consider the budget they presented. the g.o.p. budget breaks many of the basic commitments that congress has to all americans. the republican budget is an all-out assault on medicare and the middle class. instead of a budget that protects the middle class, the republican budget creates tax cuts and give aways to millionaires and the super rich providing income tax cuts for millionaires averaging at least $187,000 in 2014. how did the republicans propose they'll pay for these savings for the wealthiest americans and the big corporations?

well, they end medicare as we know it and they balance the budget on the backs of seniors and the middle class. it's really outrageous what they are doing, mr. speaker. i just want to call them to task for saying they were committed to not doing the deeming and now doing it. thank you, mr. speaker. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentlelady from california seek recognition? the gentlelady is recognized. ms. lee: thank you, mr. speaker. over the weekend the situation went from bad to worse in sudan. with military clashes erupting into a full-blown crises along the border region of sudan and south sudan. bashir, wanted by the international criminal court, is directing this new round of violence that threat yep a fragile peace. it was less than a year ago that the world's youngest nation was born in south sudan and already we are witnessing the disturbing return to violence and

inhumanity. last month i was joined by 67 members of my house colleagues on a letter to president obama expressing our serious concerns for the ongoing human calamity in sudan. mr. speaker, i ask that this letter be entered into the record. >> for what purpose does -- without objection. ms. lee: in closing, let me say half a million lives hang in the balance as the sudanese government attacks republicans and civilians alike with a strategy to stop cultivation and block humanitarian aid. we must not stand by. i call on my colleagues to sponsor legislation by our colleagues, representative capuano, mcgovern, wolf, and myself who introduced h.r. 4169, the sudan peace security and accountability act. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from kansas seek recognition? >> unanimous consent to address the house for one minute. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. >> mr. speaker, i rise to acknowledge everyone's least favorite day of the year, tax day. in 1935 the 1040 form was

accompanied by a two-page instruction booklet. today they must look over 200 pages of instructions and code that extends four million words in length and grows daily like a blog attaching its burdens to the hopes and dreams of every american. yet as millions of americans pay their taxes today, some in this town believe that washington should actually tax and spend even more of the hard-earned dollars of the american people. instead i believe we should first reform the tax code and work to control reckless and wasteful spending in the federal budget. 's not that washing taxes too little it's that washing spends too much. we must focus on reducing the tax burden on the american people, cutting spending here in washington, and working towards a bipartisan plan to reform the tax code and simplify it with millions of tax paying americans counting on us. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from california seek recognition? the gentleman is recognized.

mr. miller: mr. speaker, later today the house will consider legislation to make it easier to pass the republican budget. to make it easier to pass the budget. it is very unfair in its makeup. it's unfair it continues to lavish tax breaks on the wealthiest people in this country while asking that the elderly and the medicare program, the poorest children in our elementary schools, and young people struggling to pay for their college education all pay more to make room for a tax cut for millionaires that averages $187,000 a year in a tax cut to the wealthiest people in this country. it's not about wanting to tax more, it's about wanting tax fairness. it's about recognizing the economic disparate that exists in this country and how the tax code continues to lavish the benefit of the taxes that people do pay back to the richest people in this country. and yet later this week

republicans will bring yet another tax bill that will benefit the top 3% of the taxpayers in this country and add $48 billion to the deficit this year and half a trillion dollars to the deficit over 10 years. that's not fair. it's not right. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman's time has expired. mr. miller: it needs to be rejected. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman's time has expired. for what purpose does the gentleman from illinois seek recognition? the gentleman is recognized. mr. quigley: thank you, mr. speaker. i rise today to congratulate holestead on building and strengthening a transgender, bisexual community in chicago. i was proud to join residents from my district on the corner of chicago's first permanent lgbt community center opened its doors. since that time they have become the midwest's largest lbgt

community center and model for similar organizations across our nation. patrons of all ages, backgrounds, and economic status participate in the wide asorment of public programs and social services offered at the center. its youth program provides leader training and professional development to more than 1,800 young people across chicago. social service programs include group and individual psycho therapy, legal help, job training, and anti-violence project, advocating for victims of hate crimes and domestic violence. under the leadership of the c.e.o. and the great efforts of so many people, it has grown into the phenomenal organization that it is today. welcome the lgbt community in making our entire community a better place. thank you, mr. chairman. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from michigan seek recognition? the gentleman is recognized. mr. conyers: extend my remarks. the speaker pro tempore: without objection.

mr. conyers: ladies and gentlemen of the house, it's time for a real jobs plan to get our americans back to work in every district. and since the conservatives have taken over the house more than a year ago, they have refused to move forward with a real plan to create jobs to get our people back to work. a whole year and no comprehensive jobs plan when americans needed it most. now, in my bill h.r. 870, the humphrey-hawkins unemployment act revised is a way to bring unemployment down to zero percent. there is no reason why everybody that wants a job in america can't be put in a position or

trained for a position. and yet although most of the people in the country treat jobs as the number one priority, we still haven't got movement in the house. it is a shame and i think somebody's going to pay for it. i yield back my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman's time has expired. for what purpose does the gentleman from kentucky seek recognition? mr. yarmuth: request permission to address the house for one minute. the speaker pro tempore: does the gentleman is recognized unanimous consent? mr. yarmuth: i do. my friends across the aisle say they like to support small business owners, other than keeping fact checkers employed, republican leaders are holding back those businesses by continuing to make false claims about the affordable care act. in my louisville district more than 15,000 small businesses could qualify for tax credits to help offset the cost of providing health inshinchese for -- insurance for their employees. an employee could receive almost

$40,000 a year in tax credits right now under the affordable care act. only 530 out of those 15,000 businesses have taken advantage of it. the situation is like that across the country. why is that? could it be the people they elected to represent them in congress have repeatedly told them this law is bad for business? as members of congress, i believe it is our responsibility to give our constituents an honest and accurate picture of what federal laws and policies will do a effect their lives. yet more than two years after the affordable care act became law, republican leaders continued to make false claims about it. mr. speaker, the small business owners in my district appreciate knowing the truth about how federal laws can benefit them. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentlelady from wisconsin seek recognition? ms. moore: mr. speaker, to address the house for one minute. the speaker pro tempore: does the gentlelady seek unanimous consent? ms. moore: i do, sir. i ask unanimous consent.

the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady is recognized. ms. moore: thank you so very, very much, mr. speaker, for recognizing me. i was so happy this week when i learned from our presidential candidate, mitt romney, that the republicans are now prepared to realize that women are very important and part of the economy. that is why i'm wondering why romney has embraced the republican budget which would fix medicare by cutting out $30 billion in 10 years, when 56% of all medicare beneficiaries are women and the oldest of the old, 85 and older are 70% are women. medicaid, 2/3 of medicaid recipients who are adults are women. and of the snap program, formerly known as food stamps, cut of $134 billion of the adult recipients, 2/3 of them are women. in an environment where he claims that 92%, 93% of all job

losses have occurred among women, why would we snatch the safety net from up under women this cruel republican budget w that i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from utah seek recognition? >> by direction of the committee on rules, i call up house resolution 614 and ask for its immediate consideration. the speaker pro tempore: the clerk will report the resolution. the clerk: house calendar number 124, house resolution 4 -- 614, resolved that at any time after the adoption of this resolution the speaker may, pursuant to clause 2-b of rule 18, declare the house resolved into the committee of the whole house on the state of the union for consideration of the bill, h.r. 4089, to protect and enhance opportunities for recreational hunting, fishing, and shooting.

the first reading of the bill shall be dispensed with. all points of order against consideration of the bill are waived. general debate shall be confined to the bill and shall not exceed one hour equally divided and controlled by the chair and ranking minority member of the committee on natural resources. after general debate, the bill shall be considered for amendment under the five-minute rule. in lieu of the amendment in the nature of a substitute recommended by the committee on natural resources now printed in the bill, it shall be in order to consider as an original bill for the purpose of amendment under the five-minute rule an amendment in the nature of a substitute consisting of the text of the rules committee print 112-19. . that amendment shall be considered as read. all points of order against that amendment in the nature of a substitute are waived. no amendment to that amendment in the nature of a substitute shall be in order except those printed in the report of the committee on rules accompanying

this resolution. each such amendment may be offered only in the order printed in the report, may be offered only by a member designated in the report, shall be considered as read, shall be debatable for the time specified in the report equally divided and controlled by the proponent and an opponent, shall not be subject to amendment and shall not be subject to demand for division of the question in the house or in the committee of the whole. all points of order against such amendments are waived. at the conclusion of consideration of the bill for amendment, the committee shall rise and report the bill to the house with such amendments as may have been adopted. any member may deplanned a separate vote in the house on any amendment adopted in the committee of the whole to the bill or to the amendment in the nature of a substitute made in order as original text. the previous question shall be considered as ordered on the bill and amendments thereto final passage, without intervening motion except one motion to recommit with or

without instructions. section 2-a, pending the adoption of a concurrent resolution on the budget for fiscal year 2013, the provisions of house concurrent resolution 112 as adopted by the house shall have force and effect in the house as though congress has adopted such concurrent resolution with the modifications specified in subsection b. b, in section 201-b of house concurrent resolution 112, as adopted by the house, the following amounts shall apply. one, $7,710,000,000 in lieu of $,200,000,000 for the period of fiscal year 2012 and 2013 with respect to the committee on agriculture and, two, $3,490,000,000 in lieu of $3

billion for the period of fiscal years 2012 and 2013 with respect to the committee on financial services. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentlelady from wisconsin seek recognition? ms. moore: i raise a point of order against h.res. of 14 because the resolution violates section 426-a of the congressional budgets act. the resolution contains a waiver of all points of order against consideration of the bill which includes a waiver of section 425 of the congressional budget act which causes a violation of section 426. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady from wisconsin makes a point of order that the resolution violates section 426-a of the congressional budget act of 1974. the gentlelady has met the threshold burden under the rule. the gentlelady from wisconsin and a member opposed each will control 10 minutes of debate on the question of consideration.

following debate, the chair will put the question of consideration as the statutory means of disposing of the point of order. the chair recognizes the gentlelady from wisconsin. ms. moore: thank you, mr. chair. -- mr. speaker. i raise this point of order not necessarily out of concern for unfunded mandates, although there are likely some in the underlying bill, h.r. 4089. before i begin, mr. speaker, i have a parliamentary inquiry. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady will state the inquiry. ms. moore: the rule clearly states, quote, pendsing the adoption of concurrent resolution on the budget for fiscal year 2013, the provisions of house concurrent resolution 112 as adopted by the house shall have the force and effect in the house as though congress had adopted such concurrent resolution, unquote. does this mean that the rule deems that the senate will have

passed h.con.res. 112? the speaker pro tempore: the chair will not interpret the resolution, that is a matter of debate. ms. moore: ok. we will have to debate this. the language as i have construed it says it shall have force and effect in the house as though congress, which would include the senate, had adopted such concurrent resolution. that is subject to debate. so, i want the house to be really clear here. that given this language, there's a real it seems probable and likely that if we vote yes for house concurrent resolution 112, the republican budget, which ends the medicare, ends the entitlement under medicaid, cuts food support, cuts funds by

the $130 billion over 10 years, that we could be deeming this to be passed. and i am raising again, mr. speaker, the question about that use of congress has adopted such concurrent resolution, meaning also the senate. the speaker pro tempore: the chair has been clear that the issue is a matter of debate and the chair will not interpret the language of the resolution. ms. moore: well, thank you, mr. speaker, for your lack of clarity. i raise this point of order because it's important to uncover whether or not the underlying rules of this natural resources bill is a natural resources bill. also deems the republican budget plan to end what medicare as we know it, slash funding for snap, when it comes to the republican budget, my democratic colleagues are most definitely not asleep

at the wheel. and we want to take this moment to shed light on what's going on here. mr. speaker, i'm a member of that prestigious committee, the house committee on budget, and a long time advocate for sound budgetary policy. i recognize the importance of tackling our deficit and debt head-on, carefully balancing both spending and revenue, raising the size of our ledger, but house republicans, led by my dear colleague from wisconsin, have put out a budget that is neither sound nor balanced. this budget finds a jaw-dropping 62% of $5.3 trillion in nondefense budget cuts over 10 years from programs that serve the most vulnerable of our society. the poor. and i might add, the most vulnerable, women and children. since we've just recently established in this last week that women were a very important

in our economy. in addition to the sheer magnitude of these raw numbers, i want to make it clear that the republican budget contains major departures from current policy. this budget heralds welfare reform as a vital victory and plots the next chapter of so-called reform for other areas of the safety net. our core programs are not spared by this budgetary trick. this budget takes aim at medicare. we're told that by stripping medicare of its entitled status, cutting $30 billion out of medicare, that we're going to save it, we're going to save medicare by subtracting, that is not -- $30 billion, that's not the kind of math i learned at north division high. and we're going to set seniors

adrift in the private market. now, this budget does nothing to cut the cost of health care in the private market. it only passes those costs on to seniors. the cuts to the snap program have not goten as much attention as the medicare cut. even though they are cause for a collective alarm. as we know, over half of our citizens in the united states, working people, many of them found themselves with no other income, they had no job, we played phony bologna with the unemployment insurance, they're nothing except snap, form early known as food stamps. and so they had no other income than the food stamp program, snap. but yet we're going to cut $134 million out of this program and

convert it again to a block grant and handcuff snap's ability to respond to its increased needs. mr. speaker, can i ask you how much time i have remaining? the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady has 5 1/2 minutes remaining. ms. moore: i would like to reserve my time. i would like to yield now a couple of minutes to my good friend and neighbor, representative january schakowsky -- jan schakowsky, from the great state of illinois. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady from illinois is recognized for two minutes. ms. schakowsky: i thank the gentlewoman for yielding and i rise in support of her point of order. all this talk of deeming and passing, those words mean nothing to the american people. but the vote we are about to take means a lot. what republicans are trying to do is jam through the republican budget and pretend that it's the law of the land.

they have to play these games because last year the american people reducted this budget the first time around, and instead of doing some soul searching and offering a bill that reflects the true priorities of this nation, the republicans have doubled down and the results are truly astonishing. as we mentioned, this budget ends the medicare guarantee while raising health costs for seniors who have an average income of just $19,000 a year. increases defense spending while placing a cap on food assistance and cutting medicaid. gives the average multimillionaire, listen to this, a tax break of $394,000 while raising taxes on the middle class, protects subsidies for the oil companies and corporations that ship jobs overseas while slashing investments that create jobs and will rebuild the middle class. the cuts are so severe that if the policies are carried out by 2050, there's almost nothing left of discretionary spending but defense. as the center on budget and

policy priorities has said most of the rest of the government would simply cease to exist. so -- but it doesn't have to be this way. yesterday republicans in the senate rejected a perfectly reasonable proposal that millionaires and billionaires should pay a lower tax rate, shouldn't, shouldn't pay a lower tax rate than middle class family does. they should have passed the buffett rule in the senate, which would have been an important first step toward addressing our fiscal challenges in a fair way. a way that cuts waste, not opportunity, protects social security, medicare and medicaid, creates jobs, builds the economy and asks more from those who can afford it. this republican budget is not a serious effort. it's a radical proposal. but i'll give them credit for wanting at least their honest and proposing this irresponsible budget. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady from wisconsin. ms. moore: thank you, mr. speaker.

does the lady require more time? thank you so much. mr. speaker, how much time do i have left? the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady has 3 1/2 minutes remaining. ms. moore: i would reserve my time. i would love to hear what the proponents of this bill, the opponents to my point of order, have to say. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady's time is reserved. for what purpose does the gentleman from utah seek recognition? mr. bishop: mr. chairman, i rise to claim time in opposition to the point of order and in favor of consideration of the resolution. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized for 10 minutes. mr. bishop: thank you, sir. i'm pleased to be down here for this procedural issue that is before us. the question before the house is, should the house now consider house resolution 614? while the resolution weighs all points of order against consideration of the bill, the committee is not aware of any point of order. the waiver is prophylactic in nation. the congressional budget office has stated that h.r. 4089

contains no intergovernmental or private sector mandate, as defined in the unfunded mandate reform act. and would impose no costs on state, local or tribal governments. again, mr. speaker, this waiver is prophylactic and the motion of the gentlelady from wisconsin is dilatory. in order for the house to continue, our scheduled business of the day, we need to continue on with this proposal and dealing with the rule that is before us. i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman's time is reserved. the gentlelady from wisconsin. ms. moore: thank you, thank you, mr. speaker. i would ask the gentleman if he would yield to a question? mr. bishop: i'd be happy to but i don't control the time. mr. bishop: -- ms. moore: i would yield my time to the purpose of your answering my question. i would yield time for that purpose. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady is recognized. ms. moore: thank you. the speaker has declined to

answer my parliamentary inquiry so that would be settled during debt bait. is it your understanding that passage of this resolution will or will not deem the republican budget to have been passed in all of the congress? mr. bishopy yielding to me? ms. moore: yes. mr. bishop: i would not dare to try to supersede my interpretation over the speaker's interpretation. that is his responsibility. however -- ms. moore: no, no. he said -- mr. bishop: would you allow me to answer the question? that is still the speaker's responsibility. however, what deeming replies to is that these are for procedural consideration allowed to go forward until such time as an actual budget has indeed passed. so the answer to your question is actually both.

temporarily, yes. long term, no. at some time the senate has to do their work. hopefully they'll do it soon and this issue would be moot. ms. moore: thank you. reclaiming my time from the point which i said i was reclaiming my time. i would ask he be taxed for that extra time. he already gave me his answer. yes, it would deem to be passed. i just want to remind people in this week when we have learned how women are so much -- how important it is to have a stable good budget for women. this program slashes funding for medicaid, 2/3 of adults are women who depend on it. it slashes medicare, 2/3 of the recipients are women. and 85% of medicare recipients that are older thannle 5 depend on it. -- than 85 depend on it. it cuts key programs like childcare which are important to women and job training. it cuts core programs like food stamps. our presidential candidate said

that 93% of women lost jobs during the recession. why? why would they want to take away the safety net of food stamps when women put food on the table every day trying to feed their babies? mr. speaker, this program which will be deemed to be passed, needs more review and i would ask my colleagues to respectfully -- i would ask you to find my point of order in order. the speaker pro tempore: does the gentlelady reserve or yield back her time? ms. moore: i have time, sir? the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady has one minute remaining. ms. moore: i reserve my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from utah. mr. bishop: i reserve. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady from wisconsin. ms. moore: i want to thank the gentleman for a vigorous debate at least on my part. and i would ask my colleagues to take a closer look. this is the congress of the united states of america.

we are supposed to do things very carefully. and this is the budget that we are setting out the moral document for how this country should be run. we should not be deeming it as passed as this resolution calls for. i would ask all my colleagues to support my point of order and ask them to vote against this resolution. i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady yields back. the gentleman from utah. mr. bishop: thank you, mr. speaker. once again i wish to remind the body that we are dealing with a procedural issue. heard a great deal of policy debate here. but what we are dealing is a procedural issue. policy of the debate has been debated on this floor and will be debated in the future as well. under two criteria. one, either allowing our committees to move forward with their authorization, appropriations, and reconciliation effort in which case certain procedural techniques must take place, or

two actually allowing the senate to do their work and pass a budget going to a conversation and moving forward in that manner. one way or the other the procedure must go forward. this is not policy we are debating here. it's procedure. there is precedent for what we are doing. indeed in the last session of congress, the last congress, i apologize, h.r. 1500, the opposition party, minority party, also deemed resolutions and brought them forward. actually happened six times in our history. the only difference between the deeming that we have here and the deeming that happened in the last session of congress is that this particular budget, which will be debated again, actually went through a committee and had a vote on the floor. unfortunately when the democrat party did that a couple years ago, they had not gone through a committee. they did not have a debate on the floor or in committee or a vote on anything.

actually the numbers that were deemed that time were less than a one day's notice before it was actually voted on the floor. and that everyone who has spoken against this procedure voted for that particular deeming a couple years ago in the last congress. there is precedent for this and the precedent is solely a procedural issue. this is not the time to talk about the policy. there was a time before and there will be time in the future. this is a procedural precedent. and we can only move forward in doing the work of this congress, and i appreciate the other side for at least admitting the republicans are trying to move forward in the work of this congress, if we have certain procedural issues done in advance. that's what we are attempting to do. in order to allow the house to continue its scheduled business of this day, i urge members to vote yes on the question of consideration of this resolution and i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the

gentleman yields back the balance of his time. all time for debate has expired. the question is, will the house now consider the resolution. those in favor say aye. those opposed, no. ms. moore: i would like to vote aye -- the speaker pro tempore: in the opinion of the chir, the ayes have it. ms. moore: i thought we were voting on my point of order. my mistake, sir. could you please restate the notion. the speaker pro tempore: does the gentlelady request the yeas and nays? ms. moore: yes. the speaker pro tempore: the yeas and nays are requested. those favoring a vote by the yeas and nays will rise. a sufficient number having arisen, the yeas and nays are ordered. members will record their votes by electronic device. this is 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.]