base stays in place? i agree with elliott, there are mixed messages. you have a deteriorating human rights situation in vietnam, the secretary of defense goes there and there is nothing in the papers about human rights. and so if that was important wouldn't you think there would be a statement? and in congress the same tensions exist. you have members of congress that are very much interested in getting something whether it's a trade agreement or a military contract for something in their district. there are all kinds of reasons, a constituency that's very active in support of a particular government that may not have a good record on human rights. the same kind of tensions exist in congress. and as a result there are divisions. i think when there are divisions again it undermines our credibility on human rights. mentioned the bill, as the author of the bill in the house

i'm thrilled in a very bipartisan way republicans and democrats are saying, you know what, the situation in russia is so horrible that the idea of going ahead with permanent normal trade relations and not having some sort of human rights condition at is unacceptable -- conditionality is unacceptable. i would argue we are trying to strengthen the forces of good in russia because what the bill simply says people who are guiltive human rights violations, cannot come to the united states. we are going to freeze your assets if we have access to them. but there is a consequence. there is a consequence. i think that that's the -- if we could find a way to be better united on this issue of making sure that people know that they'll be held accountable and there will be a consequence i think we would all be better off. >> could you speak a little bit on what happens to the permanent bureaucracy, the essence of this world, when the elephants fight, when the parents are arguing,

whether it is within the interagency about the appropriate role for human rights in the policy overall? or when there is a congressional fight about this. how do you find your personal conscious -- conscience if you are that human rights or political or economic officer in the embassy who may have to advocate tough things? where's the balance? >> balance is very tough in this issue because we are normally our image of a balance is too pans on a scale. the secretary laid out the issue differently. she says there are three things that are being balanced. there are values, interests, that's mostly monny, business, relationships, and security. so you got a situation in which, i don't have an image for a three-scale balance, but that's what you are dealing with. the issue for the professional

foreign service and state department and foreign policy is essentially based on the professionalism that they have. those standards. and that basic standard is telling it as it is. and what's fortunate is that we have, thanks to the congress, thank you, we have a human rights report. we have a lot of reports these days, but we have the mother of the reports is the human rights reports. so in every embassy and every consulate in the world, there is an officer who is -- has the file and he's cutting conversation notes and he's cutting clips from the newspaper and he's putting them in that file because he or she will spend two or three weeks putting together an input which they will send to mike poser in and his team to be turned into a human rights report. the joy is that the chinese now have done a human rights report

on the united states. so what's happened is that the professionalism of diplomatic reporting has become essentially part of the fabric of what we do and what other countries do as well. that's good news. >> i want to close our excellent session with the other of all questions, the question that the secretary teed up by saying, whenever you talk about human rights as an american, fundamental policy, and as part of who we are, is this realism? is this idealism? and in that context if you want to take this opportunity to share with the group the incidents of advocacy where you felt you were most successful and the place where you have regrets as you look back over

your own lifetime of support for those who need it around the world? mark? >> that's a tough question. i would start with the question of the balance and say that it's not always an easy decision to make. right now i'd say that one looks at the range of human rights abuses in terms, i say right now in central asia we have to deal with that balance because the -- there are repressive governments there and yet there are strategic issues. the most likely subregion to explode over the next x number of years is central asia. and dealing with the -- making sure that people in central asia understand the u.s. is concerned about human rights violations there is important. and it's important -- this goes to your question. in the philippines we didn't do it enough in my view with respect to marcos. we lost the base, democratic government came into being. and i think that it's not always

the end of the evaluation and balances that if you do reflect greater concern for human rights that you lose security advantage. that's not always the case. i think in the long term it's definitely not the case. but i want to make one point. i brought an agenda from the christopher committee one time with about 15 different countries to the methodist building and joe elders brought together all the human rights groups and i gave them the same decisions that were being posed at the christopher committee to the various departments. and you would have thought that they would have all come down on the side of you do x. it wasn't that way at all. they had the same kinds of efforts to balance what needed to be done. in terms of my own view i think we needed to do more earlier against chile, particularly after the assassination in

washington that we needed to put more pressure on the pinochet regime and the military regime in argentina at that time. and in central america, i think we could have done more on guatemala than we did. we did a lot but not enough. >> i'm going to come to text -- tex next. >>ar begin tine journalist in prison tells the story looking on the wall and it said, yankee, go home. and someone had crossed the go out, and had written in in spanish, take me. that is symbolic. if you go to argentina today, u.s., which is a country that doesn't like the u.s., its government is drifting towards the chaveza model, there is a brief, bright shining memory and

pat is referred to as saint pat. and that is really a nice image to have and a memory to have and a marker for the u.s. human rights policy today. >> elliott, realism, idealism? last words. >> realism is a very unrealistic policy. i think what we have learned over the life of this bureau is that the notion that can you have a foreign policy that is detached from the decency of the american people, and their desire to have closest relationships with decent governments, is an unrealistic polcy. we have come -- we have come far, far, far beyond that. and i cannot envision either the congress or executive branch ever returning to the view that that kind of rail pulling teeth

is first of all sensible for the reasons the secretary stated, but also possible for a country in which you have churches and synagogues all across the country actively involved in the human rights cause around the world. i know we are running out of time, on what did we miss? it's really striking to me if you go back to the 1980's, we were talking about human rights in the soviet union, asia, south america, central america. not the middle east. there really was the sense that, human rights. that's not for the middle east. it just wasn't even a subject. this happened obviously after 9/11, but in those years we seem to believe in arabic exceptionalism. and they were just off the human rights map. >> it's the main subject. congressman mcgovern, realism? idealism? wrap us up. >> i think human rights, it's the right thing to do.

whether it's realistic or idealistic, i think maybe it's both. and i also think that it is important for the united states to acknowledge every once in a while we have supported governments that have been oppressive. i think it's appropriate to say we made a mistake. i think we are now engaged in a war on terror. there have been excesses which would constitute human rights abuses. we ought to live up to them of the to the extent we do i think again it enhances our stature and credibility on the issue. i spent a lot of time on el salvador in the 1980's, and i had strong disagreements with our policy. i thought too often we let ideology get in the way of doing the right thing on human rights. i think too many people dotting, that war went on too long. what i regret is we don't have a policy to deal with the issue of

the human rights abuses in sudan. i think it is -- the whole world should be appalled by what is going on. and it ought to be more of a priority worldwide. i close with this, a few years ago i tried to get into sudan, but they wouldn't give me a veeze yeah to go in, probably because i got arrested in front of their embassy a couple times. i understand that. but i remember visiting a camp, refugee camp in chad, a young mother was giving testimony to the international criminal court to be used in the indictment against president bashir. she talked about the most gruesome episode in which her entire family had been killed before her eyes. i went up to her afterwards and i hugged her and i how courageous it was for her to be able to tell that story. and she said to me, the only reason why i could tell that story, the only reason why i want to stay alive is i think by telling that story somebody will

care and they will do something. that woman, that episode haunts me every day. and so i think we have some big challenges ahead. we have a lot to be proud of. and people who have worked in this bureau should be proud. those n.g.o.'s here who have been so diligent should be proud. but our job isn't finished. we have more to do. thank you for having me here. [applause] . apoll jiss to tex. we are -- apologies to tex. we are out of time. i want to thank them for their thoughtfulness, generosity and to their service to our nation. [applause] >> terrific job. [captioning performed by national captioning institute] [captions copyright national cable satellite corp. 2012]

>> we'll return with more of this event marking the 35th anniversary of the bureau of human rights in a few moments. a quick reminder the u.s. house gets back to work starting at 2:00 this afternoon. members will offer general speeches and recess and return at 2:45 for deliberations. votes at 6:30. they'll debate 15 suspension bills. also work on fiscal year 2013 spending bills to fund the departments of transportation and housing and urban development. 104 billion dollars. it's a 5% decrease from 2012 levels. also it looks like thursday will be the day when the full house votes on that contempt of congress resolution against attorney general eric holder for withholding documents related to

operation fast and furious. also, moving from both the house and senate is a july 1 deadline preventing student loan interest rates from doubling and the re-authorization of the highway and surface transportation bill. live house coverage when they gavel in at 2:00 eastern here on c-span. on c-span2, the first lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgendered pride month event since the repeal of don't-ask, don't-tell. jay johnson is cliffering the key note address starting right now on our companion network, c-span2. new hampshire senator, kelly ayotte, will speak at the brookings institution about $500 billion in automatic spending cuts to defense. the sequestration cuts, which are set to trigger at the start of next year, were agreed to as part of lawmakers' deal to raise the debt limit last summer. you can watch live coverage of her remarks on c-span3 and

again, that's at 1:30 eastern. later this afternoon, a live webcast with james mann, the author of "the obamians. he talks about his foreign policy decisions and the people who advise him. he will be speaking here in washington. you can watch his remarks live at 7:00 p.m. eastern. go to our website, booktv.org. and the anniversary of the department of human rights bureau. now, we'll hear from thomas pickering who holds the title of career ambassador, the highest rank in the u.s. foreign service. >> welcome, everyone, to the second panel. i have a lot to live up to now

after toria. it was a fabulous conversation. my name is kyle gibson. i am from "newsweek" and also the executive producer and managing editor of a gathering called "women in the world" which is now at three years at lincoln center which examines global issues through the prism of narrative about the lives of women and girls around the world. we bring men on to our stages as well. what we discovered in these three years, particularly at lincoln center, when we were sold out, human rights has become the issue of our summit over the course of three days and so i feel very passionately about these issues and i'm delighted to be here. i'm also from centuries ago a producer for "nightline" in the old koppel days which "nightline" began right after the invasion of afghanistan. people associated with the hostage crisis.

but it was really at the height of the cold war and we had you on our program many times and actually dean cole. so i'm very delighted to be here and let's begin here. there's so much to get in here. our esteemed guests. i'll begin with the great ambassador, thomas pickering. he has the highest title here at state department, the career ambassador. also known as the diplomat's diplomat. it's a great honor to have you, sir. we also have -- someone started an applause. i think he deserves a great hand of applause. [applause] we also have harold, your title now is legal advisor but he's been dean of law. he'll give us the great important perspective, international tribunals, criminal courts. he's very, very important intellectual force in the human rights movement because of the rule of law, the role of law and

the role of international law in human rights. and -- [applause] and to my right, ambassador daniel freeh, the special envoy for the closure of the guantanamo closure facility. i ask, who did you tick off to get that one? he also posted as the ambassador to poland and also in central america. not central america. europe. pardon me. yes, assistant secretary in central europe. and we have so much to talk about on the arc from 1989, the fall of the berlin wall, to 2001, and i hope y'all interrupt each other as i turn the tables over to you. i will begin with present day. the news this morning,

ambassador pickering, from russia. putin is rounding up protestors because they wear ribbons. there's a congressional movement to crack down on sanctions -- sbosed sanctions for putin. i want your reaction. my question to you is, is it deja vu all over again? >> yes and no. the putin effort to deal with the streets has been real and i think it raises the question of the fact that he's seriously concerned. it involves intimidation and co-option. co-option where he could and intimidation where he thinks that he has to. he's now re-elected, he's an in intimidating mode. he's going to move ahead with this because it presents a serious danger for me, perhaps more exowe tension, that you have a movement in the streets that's not going to stop and there is no serious way he can use force against it in the kind

of brute opposition that the soviets would have practiced had it been something that occurred with them. we need to be very much aware of it. i am deeply concerned by two aspects of our policy. i think we need to get rid of jackson because it no longer applies and for the russians, it's in a sense a torture instrument, the purpose of which has long disappeared, but i support congressman jim mcgovern in magnitsky. i wished we scraped up the host of issues that it represents at the top. people who have been killed with no examination with clear sense that there's been government involvement of the and i think that concerns me.

and two things at the outset that i don't think is happy news but i think it's important to put them on the record now as we take a look at what we are facing ahead. one of those is us. i couldn't agree more the job that dan has undertaken and happily dan has taken the burden off of everybody else's shoulders but we should not forget that we have people permanently in detention in the united states. it is not in my view in accordance with the constitution or with our rights, and it is something we ought to face up to. my feeling is that they deserve trials. i don't like military commissions but i think that the administration has made a serious effort to make military commissions as much like district courts as they can. i very much disagree if they are very much like district courts like they are why aren't we using our district courts and i

think our congress has been unconscionable in interfering with justice with these cases and i welcome -- i recognize that unhappily we may not be able to convict some terrorists, and i'm distraught but i think because of our own faults we do not have the right to violation our constitution and keep them permanently under detention with no acksess to a judicial -- access to a judicial process and if it means letting them go then we have to. >> i was going to get to guantanamo but i think you need to respond. >> first off, it remains the position of this administration that guantanamo should be closed. that's the president's position and that's the administration's position. [applause] >> the fact that it has not closed is the result, not simply

-- not even principally the intrinsic difficulty but because the congress has put numerous roadblocks in our way prohibiting us, for example, from the kinds of civil, normal trials in federal courts that have actually a very good track record of convictions and long sentences. i say this with regret. also, in the spirit of bipartisanship, i will note that the brucks also -- obama administration also sought to close guantanamo and moved out very -- bush administration also sought to combaunt and didn't face none of the congressional restrictions that we face. so two presidents, not simply one, wanted to close guantanamo which begs the question, if both presidents wanted to close it, might they both be right? and that's a question for congress, though not for congressman mcgovern, who's been on the right side of the issue. >> i think i will ask you to

weigh in on this since we are getting to the issues of the courts, please. >> let me say, first, what a joy it is to serve with pickering and dan fried. let me say it's great to not be on the early years panel. [laughter] but i think the most revealing point to me when i came to the state department from academia that indicated to me that we were in the postcold war, tiananmen, to the fall of the berlin wall to 9/11. i don't know if he remembers this, we were meeting a russian senior leader and madeline albright and the ambassador were all there and me and so they said, everybody here speaks russian. so he started talking in russian. and then the interpreter looks

around and sees i am the only guy that doesn't speak russian and he comes over to interpret for me and i thought to myself, i'm glad jesse helms isn't watching this. so this is a sign of how much had changed, not only could he have real dialogue between people -- countries which had nonzero-sum interest, even though they were not in strategic partnership and where human rights could be discussed and that our diplomats had the kind of knowledge of the other country that previously they only had about us and we didn't have going the other way, i would note, also, it was during this period that guantanamo arose as an issue. at my last birthday, my family and i counted that i have worked on guantanamo for -- on my

birthday for 17 of the last 22 birthdays which is a very scary thought. and i do believe that -- i disagree with tom in one respect. i think that this administration has tried to make what is currently at guantanamo lawful but that doesn't mean it's a good idea. i don't think that offshore detention of enemies of the state is a good idea. whether it can be brought within legal rules or not, and i think that that has been the challenge that this administration is facing and i hope it can be addressed at the start of the next presidential term. >> all right. let's now get back into the era around 1989. i say you two were at the forefront. i'd love you apple bass door frede and apple bass --

ambassador fried and ambassador pickering. >> i remember that extraordinarily well. in the 1980's the human rights bureau looked at eastern europe as the place where dissidents were being beaten up and trade union activists shelled and their job was to defend those people. the notion that those dissidents and those trade union activists might actually succeed and that their success would change the world was a thought that occurred to no one. and when 1989 occurred, the realists in the department who opposed human rights in principle dismissed it as irrelevant and the human rights activists were skeptical because they thought that communism was too rigid to change. well, they were right. communism didn't change in eastern europe. it collapsed. within a matter of months.

and the profound consequences of that collapse unfolded only as it became clear that it would in fact -- in great part of central europe replaced by real democracy. and in the 1990's, late -- from 1989 through the clinton administration, two presidents, american foreign policy had to take account of the profound change which the fall of communism meant for the world. and it meant, in fact, that europe whole free and peace was at hand, a cause which we championedry torecally since 1985, a cause which we long since ceased to believe and a cause which was suddenly upon us. that was a profound era and i am proud to say that presidents bush, clinton and bush 3 responded in similar ways -- 43

responded in similar ways and were enormously successful. and the europe we see today, you know, despite the economic problems, but an undivided europe which seems now inevitable and is probably taken for granted by the -- the people from the human -- from d.r.l. who weren't born when it was established, that europe was regarded as impossible, impossible and that experience of going from impossible to reality affected all of us who went through it. there's more to say but that will do it for now. >> ambassador pickering. >> i agree much of what dan has said. i will say two things. in the 1980's i was in el salvador. it was a huge problem. i would not have taken the job if george schultz wouldn't have reassured me that he was doing most to deal with the human

violations but that he would back it and that was critically important. it made the job from a horror into something which there was some satisfaction. the tragedy, if anyone follows el salvador does now, we have deported all of the youth gang members and they have now afflicted el salvador with a second hail and we are now beginning to take conscious sight of that and beginning to work on that. in russia, there was consternation, and indeed lack of any serious sense of what to do. what did happen in the main, however, was the old abuses that were traditional of free press, of freedom of movement and of private life disappeared pretty quick he and indeed by -- quickly and indeed by 1994 they were pocketed by the public who were worried about the other problems -- economic adversity,

no pay, no pensions, no jobs -- and this took on a different category. on that, dan is right, that we got europe whole and free but i just spent last weekend in croatia -- >> right. >> and we know that's a reminder of the fact that there were many remnants of difficulty still not cleared up, that we need to work on, and that they had a dimension which crossed both human rights and what we would call traditional diplomacy. i don't think realism is necessarily there. that we have a diplomacy and a policy that's informed in part by our moral values and principles and in part by our national interests and objectives that human rights is a critically important part of that. i want to talk later, if there's a moment, about this potential conflict between realism and idealism and human rights and the regional bureaus because i

think there's much to be said for ways to bring it together. and harold was sitting there throughout most of this period, through the second half of the clinton administration, and i had the pleasure of working with harold as undersecretary when many of these issues were on the plate and we had to work our way through them. i think, although harold may have a different view, we worked our way intelligently through balance. >> you did talk about poland, a success story, by and large. yugoslavia, we get schrebeniza in 1995. what were the mechanisms that could have come into play that didn't come into play? harold, you can do that. >> the big picture shift in 1989, fall of the berlin wall, and tiananmen square. there was a change of paradigm. there is a change of strategy in response to the change of

paradigm and there is a change of tool. the change of paradigm was in the early period of human rights postworld war ii, the paradigm was genocide. in the cold war the paradigm was individual dissidents, and then after the wall came down it was a little bit like the floodwaters receding and suddenly you see all these other problems and the paradigm became group and ethnic conflict with yugoslav have a, the balkans being the model because tito held something together and as it fell apart there was a need to change our approach. so what was the approach? democracy, human rights and labor, basically. when i was sworn in, my son who just graduated from college was only 8 years old. i remember he came back from my swearing in ceremony and they said, what's your dad's new job? my dad is assistant secretary for truth, justice and the american way. [laughter]

and i actually thought -- you know, that's not bad. because the strategies, the tools that d.r.l. was using was really truth. telling the truth for the human rights report. my pal, mark, is here, and the number of reports line by line, word by word, our only motto was tell the truth. the creation of tribunals, truth and reconciliation commissions. engagement. particularly with the big powers, china, russia. and then the promotion of democracy and focus on atrocities prevention. and i think that continues to be the strategy. and then finally the tools had radcally changed, particularly -- radically changed, particularly public-private networks became a key part. and this is the early days of the internet where suddenly, you

know, in china, cultural revolution occurred without many poem knowing about it by tinman square, people are hoping for democracy. in present day you have people twittering and tweeting. this is president clinton's statement that you can't try to block the internet. it's like trying to nail gel o'to the -- jell-o to the wall. i think this has radically changed the paradigm. >> let me challenge you for a minute. i was there in tinman square. it was a -- tiananmen square. it was a slaughter. i was there the month before. i know that brent went back to china not very long after that and met with officials there and was seen toasting them. i understand how things changed elsewhere. i had been back to china two weeks ago. we know the situation with china. help me out here. they had fascists. people -- >> i'm glad you mentioned chang

who i saw in new york a week ago. it proves the change of paradigm. after tiananmen square, june 4, goes in the u.s. embassy for four days, leaves, gets political asylum and dies in the united states without the possibility of having the kind of influence on human rights in china that he would have hoped. the only options for a dissident back then were what you would call inside china, dead to the world, or outside china, dead to china. but we don't have that any more. with chen, the first thing that we did was to say whether possibilities he could be in china communicating with the outside world or in new york communicating with china through the internet. and then -- and this is an important point because the media needs to understand this. we were getting calls saying

when we brought chen out of the embassy saying, what did you, the u.s. government, do to protect chen? and the answer is, we got him to a place where the internet will protect chen. so you better stop thinking about it in the old terms. this is not about governments alone any more. this is about public-private networks. and the fact of the matter is that we were talking to china about how their own vision of the rule of law, including granting passports, etc., would allow him to have a solution where his human rights was consistent with chinese rule of law which shows it was no longer a zero sum game. >> ok. you looked like you wanted to say something to that. >> i wanted to go back to the question of fools. >> yes. >> the traditional 1980's tools were effective in the 1980's but

when the new democratic governments came into power in central europe and after 1991 in the baltics, they didn't ask us for human rights assistance. they asked us for economic assistance, and we actually provided it. we didn't have any idea what we were doing. nobody had thought that communism could be transformed into liberal democracy. one said, communism is like turning an aquarium into fish soup. what we're trying to do is turn it back to the aquarium. a lot harder. we had several years of economic support and it wasn't just foreign aid. it was helping countries devise the infrastructure and systems of a modern economy. we helped the poles have banking regulators, anti-monopoly laws. we had legal experts coming over

telling them how to do a budget. something we couldn't do for ourselves. pension issues. balanced budgets. i see one who is responsible for economic support for the middle east posttransition. he's using some of the tools we pioneered in central europe, enterprise funds. dick schefter, who's also sitting here, made the point in the early clinton administration that the stability of democracy in these new countries is going to depend on them getting the economy right. that was the first tool. the second tool was the strategic implications of the fall of the berlin wall, and that was the european union and nato which created the reality of the europe whole and free helped stabilize these countries in -- stabilize the region in an

unstable and uncertain time. that's where it succeeded. where it failed, former yugoslavia and other places is a different story. >> could we talk about that? you had rwanda 1994. sh i reserve the balance of my time needsa, 1995. i would love you to address what we could have done and didn't. i know there has been a report on this fairly recently about -- that albright brought together, didn't she, on rwanda? >> let's talk about what we developed as tools from this experience. number one, the icty, the yugoslavia tribunal. the possibility that you could localize responsibility in a few key leaders.

milosevic went to the tribunal. there are other ways to respond to international criminal abuses. the second was the notion of diplomacy backed by force leading to a negotiation which is what holbrooke brilliantly did at deyton. and the third is the concept of atrocities prevention which -- and what madelyn albright and bill cohen and others did was bring -- madeleine albright and bill cohen and others did which was sign a directive -- atrocities prevention board for exactly the kind of early warning. and then finally democracy building. as a longer term ant doket -- antidote. and so these were horrible ep societies but what i -- episodes but what i think it did was trigger structural change which is hard in the era. >> i agree with what harold said. i think there is another fact, harold, that probably is evolving but evolved very fast

and that's international attention. in effect, rwanda was remote, out of the way. not well intend -- well-attended to. and so on the other hand, darfur had more press attention than it did peacekeeping capacity. and it had early press attention which was complicated by very late deployment. so in fact it wasn't the sovereign answer, but it was a piece of the puzzle that was absolutely necessary but entirely insufficient to make the process go ahead. there is the will of the international -- in new york. or there's the ability to do things alone. to some extent, particularly in the clinton administration after somalia, we were highly gun shy

over participation ourselves in peacekeeping endeavors that involved particularly the notion that we might have to use force. for both good and bad reasons. i think in the end darfur showed we paid a pretty heavy price for that when it was maybe even too much but much too late, if i could put it that way, in some ways. you're right, the evolution of the tools is still out there. it's still working. i think the tool that we lack the most at the moment is what i would call foresight and preventive measures. they require more courage, nor decisiveness, more good analysis. and more ability to mobilize than i think currently we at the international community have. but it is, i think, in the paradigm the next direction to go because we are not cured. >> no. >> what account curse of this century which harold has put on the table very well, the group

and ethnic violence that's now churning and will i think continue to churn. unfortunately we see syria -- >> i was going to ask you about syria. >> we're stuck. >> i would like you to apply the tools you all have been talking about. how do they apply to syria today? look at the news this morning. massacre after massacre of children. we know the stories. how do these tools apply? >> my sense is that we have not yet exhausted the tools short of the use of military force. in part because the russians and the chinese have blocked it. in part the secretary brilliantly last week tried to turn that in to responsibility and accountability on the part of the russians for a big share of the disaster and i think that needs to be done. it's made the russians very uncomfortable. they rushed to demascus two days after the veto to see whether in

fact they could put in a fix that would coverover. they supported the annan plan. i don't know what he'll provide for the additions he talked about but they need to go there. but i think one of the things we need to think about it, with or without the u.n., is something like a quarantine can put more pressure on the syrians. i don't know. a gaurn teen is more difficult because you -- quarantine is more difficult because you deal with the questions, do you let food and medicine through? how much dependence? i think syrian financial dependence on oil exports is not trivial and i think it's something we need to look at even though harold knows a blockade is an act of war, a quarantine is an act of heroism and we need to bridge the gap there if we are going to do something like that. i think further pressure on our side is very much in order and further efforts to separate our side from the rest of the international community has to be done before we get into the

cataclysmic of a civil war or a massive international intervention and we know that the popularity of another boots on the ground war for the united states in the middle east is pretty low. happily. >> dean koh. >> for those of us who had to live through one of the -- one of the things that starts to emerge is certain kinds of patterns of violence which starts to make each episode distinctive even though they are common in their horror. so bosnia was ethnic cleansing. east timor was a scorched earth policy. we are now seeing in syria house-to-house, one-to-one, killing of children and civilians that in a way personalizes and makes it more clear the nature of the violation. the legal response -- and tom

framed one -- the notion of a quarantine as opposed to a blockade was a legal concept developed during the cuban missile crisis. in the postcold war period is the notion of responsibility to protect which i think has really three faces. when the country, whose citizens are being killed, that government has abandoned its responsibility to protect. who acquires a responsibility to act, this is quite a step beyond what had happened before which was -- it's one thing to say what a country does, a government does to its own citizens it's not just its own business. it's another to say that somebody else has a responsibility to act. and the frame of kosovo, east timor, called for multilateral responses. the kosovo episode remains a

highly controversial one, both as a matter of law and in many circles, although those of us who participated in it felt it was the right thing to do. but i think now we are in a complicated situation because the libya action, which was done through a security council -- two security council resolutions that said explicitly that libya had failed to exercise its responsibility to protect is now in a frame where in syria we have repeated efforts where we can't get a security council resolution. and what tom has pointed to is then who has the responsibility? and the fact is those who block the resolution have a responsibility. that doesn't alleviate our responsibility to address humanitarian issues and to use other tools. sanctions, diplomatic devices, etc., but this is part of the testing of the toolbox that has

happened in this period after the notion of responsibility arrives. >> harold has raised a critical problem. i phrase the question this way. what constitutes international legitimacy for action? what's the quorum you need? in kosovo there was no security council resolution because the russians made clear they would block it. and yet nato went in any way. in libya you had a security council resolution. the russians appeared to feel they were burnt and they made clear they're not going to do anything like that for syria. can we act according to the kosovo novel? what constitutes a quorum of international legitimacy? now, there were times during the first bush administration where the united states thought that acting alone or with a coalition of the willing itself constituted a quorum of

international legitimacy, and i'm positive that was proven insufficient. does nato as an organization itself constitute a quorum of international legitimacy? if nato decides to act by consensus and by invitation of an organization, the arab league, somewhere else, does that constitute international legitimacy? i'm not here to suggest an answer, but the issue of international legitimacy for these kinds of actions is an unsolved question and much debated. would we really have been happy with the consequences of not doing what we did in kosovo? we reversed ethnic cleansing. >> dan is 100% right. it's been a tore during problem. if you're a strict

constructionist for the u.n. charter, then you're stuck with a veto. and the veto in cases of genocide are actions that borders -- or actions that border on genocide is a curse. we have never or if we never have should have never been in favor of taking action in the security council to deal with cases of genocide. i don't see any plausible politically viable effort to change the veto but we need to take our thinking a step behind the notion that anybody who discusses the veto as the unmitigated and total protector of united states interests above anything else needs to take a look at this conundrum that dan has so beautifully set forward and which is now there to be deviless. years ago i said we should use the postcold war period to see whether we could get a voting

convention in the united nations in the case of a veto unless people objected to a text of a resolution they would have stayed. now, that's foletly beyond reality. and i understood it at the time. even though there may have been a pleading moment when we could have persuaded people to do something like that. but this is the case that we faced. because the charter itself is kind of rules out regional organizations that don't have the approval of the security council from doing what we did. and we have not suggested another alternative although we ought to begin to look at whether in fact there are international arrangements where coalitions of the willing have some legitimacy in the international framework to deal with questions of genocide and other things. whether it's a new treaty or new set of agements it's a hard course to run.

but dan is right. i have been troubled by this for a long time. i have spoken about it. but we need to begin to think about how to deal with this because this is a big unsolved problem. not just for human rights but for u.s. national interests. and i have to say security interests if in fact human rights violations of a gross sort are going to destabilize the international community, cause conflict and internal strife, then it is clearly a security question for us. >> well, this is something i heard victoria bring up in the last conversation. she talked about the compact with the people of another land as opposed to with the leaders. and you all talked about the paradigm shift. particularly since the end of the cold war in terms of seeing human rights as part of our national interest. can you name a particular turning point or specific turning points or moments when it could have been made even more central to a national security interest in a way that

people would have appreciated it more? have we missed that opportunity to link human rights to international interests more clearly in previous incidents? you're smiling, dean koh. >> 1977, 35 years ago. by the way, i was very struck by this because when i attended the funeral of jerald -- gerald ford, henry kissinger got up and told the following story, two weeks after gerald ford became president and everyone remembers the doubts about ford's capacities at that time, recounts -- kissinger recounted that a russian seaman jumped off a boat in baltimore harbor and sought political asylum and kissinger recounted a meeting he attended in which they went around the table and all the

foreign policy experts, all realists, including kissinger, advised ford to return him to the russians. and then when they got to ford, the president, he said, are you kidding me? this is america. this is america. we're not going to do that. now -- and by the way, kissinger told this as proof of what a great president ford was for rejecting his advice. [laughter] now, i take this as a pivotted moment because it coincided with legislative activity and what led to d.r.l., etc. i think this continues to be very much on the forefront of our thinking. we mentioned the chen case. there's a question, what do we do with this person seeking our support? this is america. this is what we do. it is a core part of a nation that can see itself -- as sees itself as conceived in liberty

and dedicated to the proposition that all persons are created equal. [applause] >> i think we got -- >> i'm sorry. your time's up. thank you. [applause] >> i was supposed to tell ambassador pickering had an important engagement. go ahead. >> here's another episode from the ford administration. the famous dissident writer in exile in the united states, forced out, wanted a meeting with the president and we went into an agony of indecision -- agonizing whether or not we

could cause such offense to the soviet union by receiving such a controversial anti-communist writer. that was the opposite of the russian sailor story. we should -- i thought reading about harold's handling of the chen episode have -- had the opposite. the realist view, the traditional american foreign policy view of such incidents was out of sight, out of the embassy, make the problem go away. we should never make something like that our problem. the problem is a government who represses human rights to such a degree that it constitutes an international problem. a friend of mine in the

underground gets on a -- smuggles himself on a freighter across the baltic to sweden and in the middle of the baltic the ship starts to turn around and he figures, are they on to me? and, yes, they're on to him. starts to come back and then turns back and goes north and it lands in sweden. he finds out later the polish bureau is debating his fate and whether they should turn back this ferry going across the baltic and he realized that communism in poland was doomed. if they're discussing my miserable fate, they're toast, they're finished. he's telling me this story as we're having a drink to celebrate the nato's -- success to nato and he was the minister of defense to poland. that -- that's a story. we should never put ourselves in a position where we agonize

about the chens of this world. make them agonize about the chens of this world. [applause] >> you can see the rest of the program in the c-span video library. live to the u.s. house in a moment. a couple of campaign 2012 items first. presidential primary season wraps up today in utah. that state holds the last primary contest. also holding a senate primary between senator hatch and tea party challenger dan. also congressional elections in new york. republican voters picking a candidate to face kristin gillibrand in the fall. and charlie rangel, who represented harlem since 1971, he's up against a number of democratic challengers for his seat in the primary today. remember to check out our campaign 2012 website. you can learn more about key state races, what the candidates are saying on major issues and watch campaign ads and web

videos. it's all online at c-span.org/campaign2012. and now general speeches in the u.s. house, legislative business will get under way at 2:45 eastern. the speaker pro tempore: the united states house of representatives will be in order. our prayer today will be offered by the chaplain, father conroy. chaplain conroy: let us pray. gracious god, we give you thanks for giving us another day. you have blessed us with all good gifts and with thankful hearts we express our gratitude. you have created us with opportunities to serve other people in their need to share together in respect and

affection, and to be a faithful and in the responsibilities we have been given. in this moment of prayer please grant to the members of this people's house the gifts of wisdom and discernment that in their words and actions they will do justice, love with mercy, and walk humbly with you. in this most auspicious week of issues in our nation's capital, send your spirit of peace and good will that we all might find in one another our common future. may all that is done this day be for your greater honor and glory, amen. the speaker pro tempore: the chair has examined the journal of the last day's proceedings and announces to the house his approval thereof. pursuant to clause 1 of rule 1, the journal stands approved. the pledge of allegiance today will be led by the gentleman

from texas, mr. burgess. mr. burgess: will everyone, including those in the gallery, please join me in the pledge to our flag and country. 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 pro tempore: for what purpose does -- for what purpose does the gentlewoman from missouri seek recognition? >> mr. speaker, i present a privileged report for printing under the rule. the speaker pro tempore: the clerk will report the title.

the clerk: report to accompany h.r. 6020, a bill making appropriations for financial services and general government for the fiscal year ending september 30, 2013, and for other purposes. the speaker pro tempore: referred to the union calendar and ordered printed. pursuant to clause 1 of rule 21, all points of order are reserved. the chair will now entertain requests to address the house for one minute. for what purpose does the gentleman from texas seek recognition? mr. burgess: mr. speaker, i rise to ask unanimous consent to address the house for one minute, revise and extend. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman virginia tech. mr. burgess: mr. speaker, here we are 32 hours away from the supreme court's decision on the affordable care act. no one has a clear idea what their decision will be. we have worked hard in preparing for any decision that might come from the supreme court and their announcement will certainly be

watched by all. as the chairman of the congressional health caucus, i have held a series of policy forums to discuss the future of health care in this country, today we heard from dr. john goodman, president and c.e.o. of the national septre for policy analysis in dallas, he has put in a considerable amount of time into how to craft health care policy that will be beneficial to all americans without the burdensome law we currently have. additionally, doctors in dallas convened with four members of congress earlier this month, they produced a set of principles. i ask unanimous consent to insert those principles in the congressional record. i encourage people to spend time to look at those and understand we have to have health care in this country that's patient septemberered, dr. led, and most of all we keep the government out of the way. with that i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, the gentleman's request is so ordered. for what purpose does the gentleman from south carolina seek recognition? mr. wilson: i ask unanimous consent to address the house for one minute. revise and extend my remarks. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from south carolina is recognized for one minute. and without objection, his request is so ordered. mr. wilson: mr. speaker,

yesterday the supreme court upheld section 2-b, or the check your papers provision of the arizona immigration law. this requires the police to check the immigration status of persons whom they detain before releasing. upholding this provision represents a victory for states that are protecting their citizens to retain jobs. a country without borders is no longer a country. the obama administration has actively prevented states like arizona and south carolina from promoting their citizens to keep jobs from competing illegal aliens. the federal government has good immigration laws, but attorney general eric holder has refused to enforce them. as a former immigration attorney, i know we welcome legal immigration. arizona and south carolina took proactive steps to ensure that state law enforcement officials are empowered to keep jobs for

americans instead of illegal aliens. in conclusion, god bless our troops, we will never forget september 11 and the global war on terrorism. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman's time has expired. for what purpose does the gentleman from texas seek recognition? >> 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 for one minute. without objection, his request is so ordered. mr. poe: mr. speaker, like many americans, my neighbors are concerned with the president's refusal to follow the constitution. james from king wood, texas, wrote me this. when as an officer on active duty i took an oath to support and defend the constitution. i am honored and still honor that oath because i believe this country and in the constitutional form of government. as near as i can see it, the president is not enforcing the laws he is required to do. if a military officer were found selectively performing his duty, he would be court-martialed, discharged, and dismissed from

the service, as he should be. sir, how long does the president get to thumb his nose at the constitution and congress? the congress must take action now to support the constitution or we won't have a constitution. mr. speaker, james is correct, the president is not sposed to make law by executive edict from the palace of the white house, nor is the president to willfully refuse to enforce laws. both actions are a violation of the supreme law of the land, the constitution. and that's just the way it is. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman's time has expired. for what purpose does the the gentlewoman from north carolina seek recognition? ms. foxx: i ask unanimous consent to address the house for one minute, mr. speaker. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady is recognized for one minute. ms. foxx: thank you, mr. speaker. mr. speaker, the facts don't lie. president obama's policies have failed the american people and are making the economy worse. since the president took office, unemployment has been above 8%

for 40 months, gas prices have doubled, the number of americans having to rely on food stamps has climbed to an all-time high, while the number of new business start-ups has dropped to a 17-year low. our national debt has surpassed $15 trillion. greater than our entire economy, and the c.b.o. has projected that 2012 will bring the fourth trillion dollar deficit in a row. because the president cannot run on his record, he has regrettably returned to the politics of envy and division. house republicans, though, have a plan for america's job creators to help turn this economy around. it's time for the president and senate democrats to stop blocking our jobs bills and help us put americans back to work. mr. speaker, i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman yields back the balance of her time. pursuant to clause 12-a of rule 1, the chair declares the house to be in recess until

she made her mark on there and that's the most famous autograph, if you want to call it here, twelve in paige library. obviously she couldn't read or write, so she left ore mark, the sign of the cross. >> watch on yull 8, 2:00 and 3:00. we expect the house to gavel back in at 2:45 eastern. over in the senate, armed services committee ranking

member john mccain called for an investigation into a series of recent high-level national security leaks, including an alleged obama administration kill list and attacks on iran. senator mccain was joined by other republicans in a 30-minute briefing with reporters in the capitol. >> good morning. i'm joined by my colleagues, senator saxby cham bless, who is ranking republican on the intelligence committee, senator john cornyn who is obviously involved and senator wicker, also a member of the armed services committee. senator graham is unable to squoin us. i think it's important for us to realize the recognize the gravity and seriousness of this

issue. according to senator feinstein, the chairperson of the intelligence committee, i quote her, these disclosures have seriously interfered with ongoing intelligence programs and have put in jeopardy our intelligence capability to act in the future. each disclosure puts american lives at risk, makes it more difficult to recruit assets, strains the trust of our partners and threatens imminent and irrevocable damage to our national security in the face of emerging threats worldwide. those are the wods of the chairperson of the intelligence committee. that's an indication of how serious this issue is. i understand that immigration and health care and a numb of other issues are getting the american people's attention but unfortunately, apparently, these leaks go on and on and on. so in the "new york times," mr. sanger, in his book, says, almost every single member of

the president's national security team was generous enough to sit down and talk through their experiences more than once. he goes on to say, some of the sors in the recent publications specifically refused to be identified because what thurp talking about related to classified or ongoing programs. in his book, which describes the administration's use of drones in yemen, "newsweek" journalist daniel cliveman writes, when i quote president obama and other carlingts i do so only if that was relayed to me by a source who pemplely heard it. earlier this month, the president of the united states said, and i quote him, the notion that my white house would purposely releets classified national security information is offensive. it's wrong and people, i think, need to have a better sense of how i approach this office and the people around me approach this office. well, let's see how the people

around him approach the office. according to, again, david sanger, almost every single member of the president's national security team was generous enough to sit down and talk through their experiences, some more than once. most were willing to place at least some comments on the record. as an example of how incredible, how bizarre this entire situation is, there's one anecdote i'd like to quote. in his book, p mr. sanger depicts a curious meeting that occurred in the fall of 2009 in pir at the g-20 economic summit. this is mr. sanger's book. as often happens when the president travels, there was a dinner organized with a numb of other reporters and overall of obama's political aides, including david axelrod and rahm emanuel.

the talk was mostly politics and the economic downturn. just as coffee was being served a senior official tapped me on the shoulder. after dinner, he said, i should take the elevator to the floor of the hotel where his president had his suite, quote, we'll talk about iran, he whispered. obama was not back at the hotel when we gathered that evening outside his suite but most of the reps of the national security -- most of the rest of the national security staff was present and armed with the intelligence that had been collected over many years about iran's secret site. as they laid it out on a coffee table in the hotel suite. satellite -- videoa -- via satellite photos, the u.s. had mapped out the building, use ffl they ever had to hit it. it was clear from details that the united states has interviewed scientists who had been in the underground

facility. we spent an hour reviewing the evidence. maybe the president of the united states was not present at his own suite in pittsburgh when obviously the notion that his white house would purposely release classified national information is offensive is contradicted by the facts. and to think that two people appointed as prosecutors from mr. holder's office overseen by mr. holder is also offensive. we need a special counsel, we need someone the merp people can trust and we need to stop the leaks that are endangering the lives of those men and women who are serving our country with valor and courage and they deserve a lot better. finally, throughout these books, both of these books, and the other information that has been leaked, the latest of which, saying that the kaye

cray was getting weapons that -- that the c.i.a. was getting weapons that may go into syria always have at the end of the day one purpose, or one effect, and that is to make the president of the united states look like a brave, strong leader on national security. this, what has taken place, i have never seen anything like in the many years i have been here. i've seen leaks. and i've seen things happen that endanger our national security. but on a continuous, ongoing, unrelenting basis, that puts in the words of senator feinstein, puts americans lives -- american lives at risk is of the highest priority and thrires appointment of a special counsel. senator chambliss. >> thank you, senator mccain, for continuing to lead this effort. i have now been involved in the intelligence community for in excess of 10 years. i dealt with intelligence leaders who are partners of the united states in virtually

every part of the world and i can just tell you that our partners are very concerned about what's happening in washington right now with respect to these leaks and the reaction of the admrgs to these leaks. we've never, even though this town is known for having leak from time to time, we've never seen the number of leaks coming out of the spedges community nor have we seen the level of the leaks that are now being reported in virtually every paper in the country. it seems like almost on a daily basis, even though it may not be. for the president of the united states to come out and say that it is offensive to him to think that his white house would intentionally leak classified information, frankly, offends me to no end. what the president ought to be saying is that this is very damaging to the country and we're going to do everything we can to get to the bottom of it

whether it involve miswhite house or wherever in the intelligence community. but for him to be politically offended by this makes no sense whatsoever from a national security perspective. let me just quote some of the statements that appeared publicly in these articles and in a couple of books that are out there right now. first of all, president obama is quoted from inside the situation room, now the situation room is located in the white house. you do not go into the situation room unless you have the highest classified rating. so somebody within that situation room who is associated with the national security council obviously is quoting the president. secondly, obama aides quoted as to what transpired in the

situation room. senior administration officials were quoted time and again in these articles. the national security advisor is quoted as talking about a covert action program. now we as members of the intelligence committee can't even confirm whether these programs exist and yet you have the national security advisor telling -- talking about a covert action program. three dozen current and former administration officials within the intelligence community were interviews, according to one of the articles. david axelrod who is not a parking lot of the national security team, was apparently in the situation room on a number of occasions. this is a political advisor to the president -- to the president. then lastly, the national advisor john brennan goes on

"good morning america," saying we had the device, talking about the bomber, we had the device under control. folks, this is all classified information. and yet we have folks in the white house going on tv and talking about it. now, while these are part of news stories, these are direct accusations toward the white house with respect to the source of the leaks. some of them are pretty direct, some are indirect. we all know that this town is about politics. but this is not about republicans pointing the finger at the white house. these are news reporters, just like you folks in this room, very professional, but out to get a story quoting white house officials on disclosure of classified information. i have no question about the competence, the integrity, the capability of the two u.s. attorneys who have been nominated now by the attorney general to investigate and this is important, to investigate only two of the supposed leaks,

one, the iran issue on the interruption of their gaining nuclear capability, and secondly, the issue of the underwear bomber. there are other leaks in addition to that. if you notice what d.n.i. clapper said yesterday is, he has asked his i.g. to investigate those scenarios or those leaks that the attorney general is not investigating. now, do we really think, in spite of the capability of these two u.s. attorneys, that when you have somebody who is appointed by the administration , are they really going to be unbiased in their investigation of the administration that appointed them? one of these individuals, apparently worked on the obama campaign, was involved in the vetting of the vice president's selection, they are not -- he was not just a casual volunteer

in the campaign. he obviously was a pretty important member of that campaign team. i was told by attorney general holder when he called me friday, two weeks ago, to say he was going to name these two u.s. attorneys to name the -- to run the investigation that if during the course of this, a conflict of interest developed, he would consider the appointment of a special counsel. guess what, the more we find out about the folks that are going to be doing the investigation, the more common sense determination is that there is a conflict of interest today and because that conflict of interest exists, ha special counsel should be appointed. senator foreman. >> i afree with senator mccain and senator clam police that a special council should be -- special counsel should be

appointed because the administration can't be trusted to investigate itself. since the independent counsel provision ex-peered, the special counsel provision has been used. unfortunately, as written, these two attorneys, political oy apointees of the obama administration are tasked with doing the investigation and reporting to, guess who, attorney general eric holder, who has not demonstrated any sort of independence on his behalf as the chief law enforcement officer of the united states. i won't go into the long litany of those but many of them are in the news this week, have been since the administration started. let me just call to your attention the double standard under which the -- our democratic friends operated during the time that president bush was in the white house. during the valley -- valerie plame affair, patrick

fitzgerald insisted on a letter from the acting attorney general after attorney general ashcroft recused delegating the investigative authority of the department justice to a special counsel. and declined to exercise any sort of supervisory control over mr. fitzgerald, the special counsel. so that was an independent investigation. this is not. and if in fact attorney general holder and the administration continue to promote this pretense of an independent investigation, my hope is that congress will take up the responsibility to do what is constitutionally authorized and obligated to do and that is to investigate this matter ourselves. i've talked specifically to senator collins and senator lieberman of the homeland security and governmental affairs committee that would

have jurisdiction over some, if not a substantial portion of this. my hope is that we will have a truly independent investigation because you cannot investigate yourselves and claim you have no conflict of interest, which the administration and attorney general holder are claiming presently. >> where's the outrage in this administration? where is there any indication that within the obama administration officials are outraged at the criminal leaks of classified information that put our agents and our friends at risk? here is what has been disclosed obviously by members of the administration. classified details of the navy seals' raid to kill osama bin ladenful missions in pakistan.

a yemeni double agent has been outed and is of no use to us. in the future. the predator drone protocol. the cyberwar involving iraq. and overt operations in africa. all of these sensitive pieces of administration have been spread out in a book by mr. sanger and we have yet to hear any outrage from the president of the united states. any other administration in my memory, democrat or republican, would have been absolutely apoplectic, looking for the culprits, trying to find out who were the people who had actually committed these criminal leaks. instead, the president is

offended that someone would suggest such a thing. and frankly, members of the administration are sort of smugly happy that information has come forward that appears to make the president seem tough. as peggy noonan said last week, national security doesn't exist to help presidents win elections. it's not a play thing or a tool to advance one's prospects. and yet this administration, it seems, is more interested in advance this -- advancing the prospects of the president's he--- re-election than being outraged by criminal leaks. this is a bipartisan concern at least in the senate. senator mccain quoted chairman feinstein, let me quote further. she says, this has to stop.

when people say they don't want to work with the united states because they can't trust us to keep secret, that's serious. amen to senator feinstein. she further said that as she read thing an sanger book, her heart stopped at points during the reading of this book. she said, you learn more from the book than i did as chairman of the intelligence committee. and that's very disturbing. to quote the chair of the intelligence committee. this is not going to be adequately investigated unless we have an independent special counsel. senator mccain is right, there's a lot going on in this building this week and a lot going on the rest of the year. we had an immigration decision yesterday reark action by the administration, we have health

care coming within 48 hours, trying to wrap up for the fourth of july, there's a number of things we need to get done the rest of this year. there are people in this city who are hoping the issue of criminal leaks of classified information will go away. we're here today to say that it will not go away. we continue to press for a sensible and adequate investigation and we hope that bipartisanship will prevail and a special independent counsel will be appointed. >> senator mccain, there was a mention of what d.n.i. clapper announced yesterday, the polygraph, do you think those steps are sufficient? what's your opinion? >> no, but i think they're important. ill point out that the

professionals in the intelligence community, not the political appointees, are beside themselves. they are -- they're just distraught because of the betrayal of things like the inside informant in the underwear -- latest underwear bomber. the doctor that obviously has just been in pakistan that's just been sentenced to 33 years. the information about seal team 6 and other methodology which compromises their ability to carry out future missions. so the professionals are outraged and i know the director of national intelligence believes within his rem of authority this is the best and most he can do is increasing the polygraphs and checks on information that may have been leaked. it still means we have to have an independent counsel to look at how all this happened. >> senator, the administration

has said by appointing u.s. district attorneys now, that that would make this move more quickly, since it is sensitive information, there's an urgency, instead of the time it would take for an outside counsel stepping up. >> if you believe that a prosecutor, one of whom was an i want gralt part of the obama campaign has credibility with the american people, then i guess so. but we already have been told that this investigation by these prosecutors could take months, if not years already. but i'd like for maybe senator cornyn to comment on that. but to somehow think that you're going to get an objective assessment in the minds of the american people, an effective and unbiased investigation from an attorney general that is now on the

verge of being held in contempt of congress, i don't think sails with the american people. >> i would just point out again that these u.s. attorneys report to eric holder. and -- an attorney general has to make a basic decision at the beginning of an administration whether they're going to be the chief law enforcement officer of the country or a political arm of the white house. time and time again, given the opportunity to make that choice, the attorney general has made the political choice. so there is no credibility here. that's why we believe an independent investigation is so important. >> senator if this is a bipartisan concern, why is it that there are no democrats standing up here? >> senator lieberman has called for the appointment of an independent counsel and clearly theavering senator fine steyn and several others have said in my view lends itself in that direction. but look, this is a tough town.

there's pressures being brought to bear on the democrats not to call for an independent counsel. the fact is that senator obama and senator biden called for an independent counsel in the valerie plame case. now valley -- the valerie plame case was a terrible thing. but when you look at it and its consequences as compared to these, there's no comparison. >> hasn't this administration been tougher prosecuting leaks than the previous? >> at the lowest level. they've done well with a private in the army but when you look at where this comes from, how does a person be brought up to the presidential suite and briefed by, quote, national security personnel, unless they are at the highest level? a private doesn't bring people up to the presidential suite to brief them on iran. all i can tell you is that the

level of prosecutions is min us kuhl as compared to the level of what is obviously where these leaks came from. >> thursday, the house is going to vote to hold holder in contempt if they do so, do you think it bolsters the case for an independent counsel? >> i don't know, to tell you the truth. because they are separate matters. but what it does is when any attorney general of the united states is held in contempt, whether it be republicans or democrats, it's obviously a tremendous blow to that individual's credibility. zf what happens next? >> i guess we would all continue to push for it and do everything we can. the second thing is, senator

flynn -- this may rise to the level of a congressional investigation. >> we need to get the facts and follow the facts wherever they may lead. while we can't change the fact that we have republicans, we have kems -- democrats, we have independents, i think all of us are saying, senator feinstein in her quoted comments and others say this is more important than politics, this is about our national security, about disclosing sources and methods of our intelligence community that jeopardize the information and safety and security of our intelligence operators but also our allies that we depend upon to protect meshes -- americans in a very dangerous world. it's all about independence and a-- and i agree with senator mccain if we're not going to get the kind of answers we need out of the attorney general and this administration, i think it

falls to congress to do its own independent investigation through whatever structure the leadership might deem appropriate. >> let me just add to that one second. roger made a good point when he said, where's the outrage out of the administration? is it going to take one of our sources not just having his life put in danger but being injured, who knows what else may happen to somebody out there now before this administration gets serious about this and does get outraged, god forbid that happens. what's it going to take to get this administration outraged about this? >> is there anything the congress should be doing legislatively to crack down on the leaks? >> within the intelligence community we're working on our intelligence authorization bill right now. we've already had briefings with the d.n.i., with director muller of the f.b.i., and along with general petraeus.

we're going to if figure out a way. i commend chairman feinstein, she's very strong on this we want to find the right kind of provisions to put in legislative language to do what we can legislatively to to begin to do a better job from an oversight standpoint of making sure this doesn't happen again or at least discouraging people from committing any leaks in the future but that still doesn't address the current situation. >> i know members of congress have indicated strongly that they believe tom is the source of that? >> i don't know. i've heard that but that's why i would need to have an investigation. i'm not ready to indict someone until the investigation is complete. i'd like to mention that the last legislation that covers this issue, senator chambliss

will tell you, was 1917. it's clear that this whole legislation and situation has changed a lot since 1917. so that needs to be updated. finally i'd like to say again, i no many, many people in the intelligence community, professionals who have been working in the intelligence community for many, many years, who literally risked their lives in service to their country. these professionals are outraged to a degree the likes of which i have never seen. because we are putting their lives in danger, the underwear bomber, the double agent, was outed, had a lot of family members in yemen who were in danger. the doctor that has to go -- is now in jail, prison for 33 years, sources and ongoing operations is unprecedented in the years that we have been involved in these issues which is a long time.

>> if there is a congressional investigation, does it mean the step os the deform n.i. announced aren't enough? >> of course not. he's saying people will have additional polygraphs. we've got to find out how this all happened. that's to some degree closing the barn door. i think it's laudable he has take than step but the fact is, we need to find out how this happened and two did it. thank you very much. >> coming up shortly, we'll go live to the house floor debate on suspension bills at 2:45 eastern, a couple of minutes from now. the u.s. senate is in session today with more debate on a

bill continuing food and drug administration user fees on scription drug reviews and approval. fees also cover medical devices and they would be expanded to include je for the rick drugs and biopharmaceutical products. you can see the senate live on c-span2. a quick reminder, coming up later this afternoon, we'll bring you a live webcast with james mann, a former correspondent for "the los angeles times." he's written a book about president obama's decisions and the people who advise him. he'll discuss it at a bookstore here in washington, watch his remarks live starting at 7:00 p.m. eastern on booktv.org. >> i could have told you at the beginning of this year that this is how we'd run. there would be a vitupe rahtive republican primary, there would be a nominee and the true

nature of the race would reveal itself, which is that it was going to be close. i would say the media would eat that up and say, obama is -- romney is surging, obama is flagging. the next phase is the media will be more alert to the fact that governor romney has been pleatly evasive about his positions, has been all over the lot on many of them and has tried to play a game of hide and seek with the american people. and i think that the news media will be challenged to do -- to challenge him. to be more forthcoming. then the story will be that for a while. this is the nature of this business. >> look behind the presidential election process when you want online with c-span's road to the white house and the c-span video library. [captioning performed by national captioning institute] [captions copyright national cable satellite corp. 2012] >> july 7 and 8, book tv and

american history tv explore the history of missouri. >> this is probably our most famous book, this is the one we like to show visitors when they come into the archives. this is a book about harriet tubman. it's called "harriet: the moses of her people." and the special thing about this, it was written in 1866, the special thing about this book is that harriet tubman made her mark on there and that's the most famous autofwraff, if you want to call it that, of what we have here in paige library. obviously she couldn't read or write. so she left her mark, the sign of the cross. >> watch for book tv and american history tv in jefferson city, missouri, july 7 and 8, on c-span2 and 3.

>> sunday award winning author and historian david pietrusza is our guest on book tv's "in depth." his passion for u.s. presidents and the great american pastime, baseball, has resulted in a dozen book, including "1920: the year of six presidents," and "1960" and "rothstein" about the fixing of the world series. call us -- join us live with your calls and tweets. >> and now live to the floor of the u.s. house for debate on suspension bills.

>> again we're waiting on the house, they'll be in in just a minute. voting will get under way at 6:30 eastern. they'll be working on an agreement to re-authorize

highway highway and mass transit projects. you can see live coverage when they gavel in in just a moment. the speaker pro tempore: further proceedings today on motions to suspend the rules or on which

the vote incurs objection under clause 6 of rule 20. record votes on postponed questions will be taken later. for what purpose does the gentleman from kentucky seek recognition? >> mr. speaker, i move to suspend the rules and pass h.r. 4850, enabling energy savings innovations act. the speaker pro tempore: the clerk will report the title of the bill. the clerk: h.r. 4850, a bill to allow for innovations and alternative technologies that meet or exceed desired energy efficiency goals. the speaker pro tempore: pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from kentucky, mr. witfield, and the gentlewoman from florida, ms. castor, each will control 20 minutes. the chair recognizes the gentleman from kentucky. . mr. whitfield: thank you. i yield myself such time as i may consume. i rise in support of the enabling energy savings innovations act h.r. 4850, introduced by representative aderholt of alabama.

this bill fixes a problem with the energy independence and security act of 2007 relating to newly manufactured coolers and freezers. the legislation resolves a problem by providing the secretary of energy authority to waive certain components -- component specifications of section 312, so long as the product and the manufacturer demonstrates that it meets or exceeds d.o.e. energy efficiency standards. i would urge all members to support this common sense piece of legislation and reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves. the gentlewoman from florida is recognized. ms. castor: good afternoon, madam speaker, i yield mist -- myself such time as i might consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman is recognized.

ms. castor: the ranking member of the nrning and commerce committee asked me to convey he has no objection to the bill. the bill allows for walk in coolers and feezers to meet standards without foam insulation. we think this is a reasonable approach and encourage members to support the bill. i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman reserves. the gentleman from kentucky is recognized. mr. whitfield: i yield six minutes to the gentleman from alabama, the author of the legislation. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized for six minutes. >> thank you, madam speaker. when congress passed the act in

1997, it did not allow -- mr. aderholt: it did not arow for technologies. section 312 regulates the efficiency standards of walk-in coolers and freezers. the section mandates that cooler and freezer doors meet a certain r value as measurement of their ability to retain temperature and use less energy. the problem is that an r value is a measurement. based primarily on the thickness of foam. therefore requiring products to meat an r value prohibits technologies that are just as efficient but utilize alternative material or alternative tech knolls. these types of statutes typically provide the department of energy with a waiver authority this bill simply provides the department of energy with the authority to waive the r value requirement if they determine a product

meets or exceeds the desired energy efficiency goals. this bill is supported by the american council for energy efficient economy. furthermore, we've spoke within officials at the department of energy who recognize the need to consider the energy saving and the nonfoam products. madam speaker, this situation offers a prime example of how making an adjustment in a government regulation can maintain standards and at the same time allow flexibility for business and retailers to purchase superior products to enable their businesses to use less energy and therefore save more money. the law as it currently stands is preventing this mutually beneficial transaction from taking place. furthermore, without a waiver authority, the law will continue to limit future innovations in this important sector. it would be as if, in the 1950's, congress had mandated that the record industry only use a certain type of vinyl.

therefore there would be no cassette tapes, there would be no c.d.'s or ipods. with this simple bill before us, congress can fix this oversight i allow manager ecofriendly innovations and many a more free marketplace. this is one way in which we as representatives can help continue to create the environment for economic growth. for those reasons, the bill enjoys wide bipartisan support. i would urge a yes on h.r. 4850 and with that, i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. the gentlewoman from florida is recognized. ms. castor: if the other side has no further speakers -- then i will be prepared to yield back. mr. whitfield: we have in further speakers. ms. castor: then i urge a yes vote and yield back the brans of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the

gentleman from kentucky. mr. whitfield: i want to thank the gentlelady from florida and the ranking member for working with us. i urge passage and yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. the question is will the house suspend the rules and pass h.r. 4850. those in favor say aye. those opposed, no. in the opinion of the chair, 2/3 being in the affirmative, the rules are suspended, the bill is passed and without objection the motion to reconsider is laid on the table. for what purpose does the gentleman from kentucky rise? mr. whitfield: i move to suspend the rules and pass h.r. 5625, the collinsville renewable energy promotions act. the speaker pro tempore: the clerk will report the title of the bill. the clerk: h.r. 5625, a bill to reinstate and transfer certain hydroelectric licenses and extend the deadline for demensment of construction of certain hydroelectric projects. the speaker pro tempore: pursuant to the rule, the

gentleman from kentucky, mr. whitfield and the gentleman from connecticut, mr. murphy, each will control 20 minutes. the chair recognizes the gentleman from kentucky. mr. whitfield: thank you, madam speaker. i yield myself such time as i may consume. i rise in support of h.r. 5625, introduced by representative murphy of connecticut. this legislation would provide the federal energy regulatory commission with limited authority to reinstate two terminated hydroelectric licenses and transfer them to a new owner, the town of canton, connecticut. the licenses are associated with the upper and lower collinsville dam on the farmington river in connecticut. both projects are under one mega watt each and i would urge all members to support this legislation and i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from kentucky reserves. the gentleman from connecticut is recognized.

mr. murphy: i yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. murphy: thank you, madam speaker. i would like to thank the chairman for his assistance in leadership in bringing this bill forward today. this legislation before us, as chairman whitfield stated, is simple. it will allow ferc the permissive authority to allow several communities in my districts to operate two very small hydroelectric dams and municipal power sources. the upper and lower collinsville dam, they've been dormant since the 1960's and the licenses that were fairly recently previously issued by ferc to operate both small dams are currently inactive this legislation would just allow ferc the opportunity to reinstate thement and transfer them to the town of canton, connecticut, for operation. these two small dams are already a beloved and long standing sim tpwhofle farmington valley's rich history. however, we can help make them

a rich symbol of the valley's future as well, retrofitting them to provide clean energy to provide power to thousands. this legislation was the product of a sustained collaborative process with ferc, state and local stake holders and others. the bill provides for an adecisional comment period on ferc licensing action as well as on the license's environmental protections, ensuring the public input is respect and the river's health is protected. while we work to enact policies to accelerate our transition to energy independence, we shouldn't neglect the smaller projects that can begin that process right here and now. this bill represents that kind of opportunity. this isn't the first time we've considered this bill in this chamber. identical legislation passed the house by voice vote on june 16, 2010. however, the senate didn't take up the bill that year. as such, i'm hopeful we can must they are same bipartisan

spirit today and again pass this noncontroversial energy legislation. again i'd like to thank chairman whitfield as well as chairman upton, ranking members waxman and rush and their staffs for helping us bring this legislation to the floor today. we do this to credit an institution that needs a little bit more of this kind of bipartisan legislation. again, to the chairman, i appreciate it and i reserve the plans of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from connecticut reserves. the gentleman from kentucky is recognized. mr. whitfield: we have no further speakers. at this time i would thank the gentleman from connecticut for bringing this legislation to our attention, i appreciate his patience, it took us a little while to get it to the floor but i do urge its passage and yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from kentucky yields back. the gentleman from connecticut yields back. mr. murphy: i yield pack. the speaker pro tempore: the question is, will the house

suspend the rules and pass h.r. 5625. those in favor say aye. those opposed, no. in the opinion of the chair, 2/3 being in the affirmative, the rules are suspended, the bill is passed and without objection the motion to reconsider is laid on the table. for what purpose does the gentleman from kentucky rise? mr. whitfield: i ask unanimous consent that all members be allowed to revise and extend their remarks and insert extraneous material on h.r. 4850 and h.r. 5625. the speaker pro tempore: without objection.

the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from texas seek recognition? mr. smith: madam speaker, i move that the house suspend the rules and pass h.r. 5889, the nuclear terrorism conventions implementation and safety of

maritime navigation act of 2012, as amended. the speaker pro tempore: the clerk will report the title of the bill. the clerk: h.r. 5889, a bill to amend title 18, united states code, to provide for protection of maritime navigation and prevention of nuclear terrorism, and for other purposes. the speaker pro tempore: pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from texas, mr. smith, and the gentleman from georgia, mr. johnson, each will control 20 minutes. the chair recognizes the gentleman from texas. mr. smith: madam speaker, i ask unanimous consent that all members may have five legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous materials on h.r. 5889, as amended, currently under consideration. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. mr. smith: madam speaker, i yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. smith: madam speaker, i introduced this legislation to implement certain provisions of four multilateral counterterrorism treaties that will make america and the world safer.

the significance of this legislation and the bipartisanship to get this bill to the floor is evidence by those who joined me as original co-sponsors. judiciary committee ranking member john conyers, crime subcommittee chairman john sensenbrenner and ranking member bobby scott. terrorism and weapons of mass destruction do not recognize international bountries. the treaties that this legislation relates to are important tools in the fight against terrorism. each one builds on an existing treaty to which the united states is a party. implementation of these treaties will enhance the national security of the united states. this legislation modernizes and strengthens the international counterterrorism and counterproliferation legal framework. the treaties in this legislation complement important u.s. priorities to prevent nuclear terrorism, counterproliferation of weapons of mass destruction and counterterrorism initiatives. acceptance of these treaties will reinforce the united

states' leadership role in promoting these and other counterterrorism treaties and will likely prompt other countries to join. the treaties were widely supported by the departments of state, justice and defense. this legislation strengthens current law and related jurisdictional provisions. acceptance of the underlying treaties benefits the united states in many ways. for example, parties to the underlying treaties are required to criminalize certain acts committed by persons who possess or use radioactive material or a nuclear device. and parties are obligated to extradite or prosecute alleged offenders. as it relates to maritime terrorism, it would treat vessels and fixed maritime platforms as a potential means of conducting terrorism activity and not just as objects of terrorist activity. the previous administration strongly supported approval of these agreements which have already received state advice

and consent. the current administration wants to advance this legislation so that the united states maintains its leadership role in counternuclear proliferation efforts and in terrorism prevention. advancing this legislation strengthens international cooperation and information sharing as it relates to international terrorism and terrorism of weapons of mass destruction. i urge my colleagues to support this bipartisan legislation and i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from texas reserves. the gentleman from georgia is recognized. mr. johnson: thank you, madam speaker. madam speaker, the four treaties are the cornerstones of an important effort to update international law for the post-september 11 era. two of the treaties, the international convention for the suppression of acts of nuclear terrorism, and the convention for the physical protection of nuclear material, require party nations to better

protect nuclear materials and to punish acts of nuclear terrorism. the two other treaties, amendments to the convention for the suppression of unlawful acts against the safety of maritime navigation and the protocol for suppression of unlawful acts against the safety of fixed platforms, address the use of ships and fixed platforms in terrorist attacks as well as the transport of weapons, weapons delivery systems and terrorists, fugitives by fee. the united states signed these treaties in 2005. the senate passed resolutions of advice and consent on all four in 2008. in an era where we increasingly rely on our allies to combat terrorism, these new treaty obligations are also plain and common sense. members of this committee have been committed to their

ratification from the very start. we disagreed with the administration's original legislative proposal only where it asked for far more than was necessary to implement these treaties. excuse me. fortunately, after many months of discussion, we have arrived at language that implements these treaties without making unnecessary and needlessly controversial changes to the federal criminal code. h.r. 5889 represents true bipartisan consensus and has the full support of the obama administration. i look forward to its passage here in the house, to its ultimate passage in the senate and to our diplomatic corps following letters of ratification after all these years. i want to thank chairman smith and chairman sensenbrenner, both for holding a hearing in the crime subcommittee on this important legislation in october of last year and for

their collaboration with crime subcommittee ranking member bobby scott to work out our concerns with the administration. i urge my colleagues to support the bill and i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from georgia reserves. the gentleman from texas is recognized. mr. smith: madam speaker, i have no other speakers on this side, so i reserve the balance of my time and i am prepared to yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from georgia is recognized. mr. johnson: i have no further -- no further speakers and i will yield the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from georgia yields the balance of his time. the gentleman from texas. mr. smith: yield back the balance of my time as well. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from texas yields back. the question is will the house suspend the rules and pass h.r. 5889 as amended. those in favor say aye. those opposed, no. in the opinion of the chair, 2/3 having responded in the affirmative, the rules are suspended, the bill is passed, and without objection --

mr. johnson: madam speaker. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from georgia is recognized. mr. johnson: i object to the vote on the grounds that a quorum is not present and i make a point of order that a quorum is not present. the speaker pro tempore: pursuant to clause 8 of rule 20, and the chair's prior announcement, further proceedings on this question will be postponed. for what purpose does the gentleman from texas rise? mr. smith: madam speaker, i move that the house suspend the rules and pass h.r. 4223, the safe doses act, as amended. the speaker pro tempore: the clerk will report the title of the bill. the clerk: union calendar number 393, h.r. 4223, a bill to amend title 18, united states code, to prohibit theft of medical products, and for other purposes. the speaker pro tempore: pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from texas, mr. smith, and the gentleman from georgia, mr. johnson, each will control 20 minutes. the chair recognizes the gentleman from texas. mr. smith: madam speaker, i ask unanimous consent that all members may have five

legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous materials on h.r. 4223, as amended, currently under consideration. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. mr. smith: madam speaker, i yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from wisconsin, mr. sensenbrenner, who is the chairman of the crime subcommittee of the judiciary committee and a former chairman of the judiciary committee and also the sponsor of this legislation. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from wisconsin is recognized for such time as he may consume. mr. sensenbrenner: madam speaker, i thank the gentleman from texas for yielding me this time. i introduced h.r. 4223, the safe doses act, to address the problem of medical cargo theft across the united states. medical cargo theft poses significant health risks to patients who have no reason to no their medicines have been stolen and improperly cared for before being sold back into the legitimate supply chain. stolen medical cargo can kill

or injure those patients that need reliable safe medicines. sophisticated and enterprising criminal organizations are stealing large quantities of medical products and selling them via the wholesale market into legitimate pharmacies and hospitals. they are putting patient safety at risk because improperly cared for medical products can be ineffective or harmful and such damaged products are often impossible for health care professionals to identify. high-value pharmaceuticals, including treatments for serious diseases, are frequent targets. unfortunately, these high-value items are the very type of sensitive products that need the most careful handling and temperature control. many medical products can become ineffective if stored at the wrong temperature, even for a brief time. the theft of life-saving

medical supplies is treated the same as the theft of perfume or stereo equipment. the criminal organizations hijack tractor trailers at truck stops, break into warehouses and evade systems, produce counterfeit labels and otherwise thwart the intense security measures used by the industry. some employ sophisticated surveillance equipment and techniques in order to learn exactly when and where they can steal the particular shipments they want. for example, in march, 2010, over $75 million of prescription drugs, including treatments for cancer, heart disease and neurological disorders such as depression, adhd and schizophrenia were stolen from a warehouse in

connecticut. the burglary was one of the largest pharmaceutical heists in history. the criminals broke into the secured facility on the weekend by cutting a hole in the roof. then, repeling into the storage area. they disabled the alarm system and loaded dozens of crates onto a tractor trailer. experts have said that this heist shared many traits with warehouse thefts of pharmaceuticals last year in richmond, virginia, memphis, tennessee, and olive branch, mississippi. those thieves also cut through ceilings and sometimes used trap ease-style rigging to get inside -- inside and they sprayed dark paint on the lenses of security cameras. in others they removed disks from the security recording devices. this bill increases sentences for theft, transportation and storage of medical product

cargo. enhances penalties for those who knowingly obtain stolen medical products for resell in the supply chain, increases sentences when death results from the injection of a stolen substance or when they are employed by an organization within the supply chain, provides law enforcement with such tools such as wiretaps and provides restitution for victims injured by stolen medical products. the legislation is supported by the coalition for patient safety and medicine integrity. a group of pharmaceutical medical device and medical products companies whose purpose is to protect patients from the risks posed by stolen and improperly handled medical products re-entering the legitimate supply chain. members of the coalition include abbott and eli lily,

glaxosmithkline, johnson & johnson, novartis, sonofi and pharma. it is supported by the association of cancer centers, the health care distribution management association, the national council for community behavioral health care, and the national fraternal order of police. the companion bill in the other body, senate 1002, was reported by a voice vote from the senate judiciary committee in march. i urge my colleagues to support this commonsense bipartisan legislation to give law enforcement agencies and prosecutors the additional tools they need to confront this growing problem. i yield back the balance of my time to the gentleman from texas. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from texas reserves. the gentleman from georgia is recognized. mr. johnson: thank you, madam speaker. madam speaker, h.r. 4223 is intended to address the problem

of large-scale medical product theft. i think we will all agree that this crime poses substantial risks to the public. for instance, in north carolina in 2009, over 120,000 vials of insulin was stolen and subsequently reintroduced back in the supply chain to be used by unsuspecting patients. patients should be able to rely on their medications to be safe, effective and unadult rated and we certainly need to treat it as a significant crime when criminals steal shipments of drugs. large scale medical product theft is a serious problem that merits a serious solution. i commend my colleagues on the house judiciary committee for making important changes to this bill. the manager's amendment adopted at markup clarifies that the -- that it applies only to conduct

when the perpetrator knows it's a medical product that is stolen, expired, or not yet released to the public. i also believe the correct read thoffering bill, consistent with the general proposition or general presumption that the mens ray -- that the mens rea element applies is that a defendant would have to know that the spruct a pre-retail medical product in order to be convicted. why i -- while i note these important issues, i want to raise a note of concern about the approach of increasing penalties as a way of addressing crime. stealing cargo from a warehouse is already illegal. of course. the penalty is a fine and up to 10 years in prison. h.r. 4223 creates a new crime for theft of pre-retail medical

products and a new code section, 18 u.s.c. section 67 0. section 670 would increase the penalties to up to 30 years in prison in some cases if the stolen goods are pre-retail medical products. however, i'm heartened that this bill does not include mandatory minimum sentences and there will be an intelligent, deliberative process to set sentencing guidelines by the u.s. sentencing commission. as the house moves to adopt this bill today, i want to emphasize that it is important, it's also important that we do what we need -- what we know works best to deter crime. and that is to increase the likelihood that perpetrators will be caught and convicted. we heard from a witness at the hearing on this bill that increased investigation and enforcement would have a greater deternlt effect than increased penalties.

i agree and this bill was amended at markup to include a provision directing the attorney general to give increased priority to efforts to investigate and prosecute preretail medical theft offenses. finally we want to encourage the industry to exhaust all reasonable means of preventing these thefts from their properties and other facilities along the transit route. the april, 2011, edition of "fortune" magazine included a condition an article entitled, drug theft goes big. it reports that the thieves who committed the largest prescription drug test in history did so by cutting through the tar roof of eli lilly's connecticut warehouse and sliding down ropes. security was so lax, the thieves were able to pull their tractor trailer up to the loading dock and spend a couple of hours leading the stolen goods.

in a similar event several months ago, thieves broke into a glaxo-smith-kline warehouse by coming through the roof. while none of this in any way shields or excuses the perpetrators of the crimes, clearly the examples point to the need for more security. government and industry should work together at all points along the factory to retail chain to prevent and detect such thefts. i'm aware that industry and government regulatory authorities are working toward these ends and i would hope that work would continue so we will have a comprehensive effort to address this type of crime. and madam speaker, i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from georgia yields back, the gentleman from texas is recognized. mr. smith: i yield back the

balance of my time as well. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. the question is, will the house suspend the rules and pass h.r. 4223 as amended? those in favor say aye. those opposed, no. in the opinion of the chair, 2/3 being in the affirmative, the rules are suspended, the bill is passed and without objection the motion to reconsider is laid on the table. for what purpose does the gentleman from texas seek recognition? mr. smith: i move that the house suspend the rules and pass h.r. 4067818. the speaker pro tempore: the clerk will report the title of the bill. the clerk: h r. 4018, a bill to -- the public safety officer's benefits improvements act of 2012. the speaker pro tempore: the chair recognizes the gentleman from texas. mr. smith: i ask unanimous consent that all members have five legislative days to revise

and extend their remarks and include extraneous materials on h.r. 4018 as amended currently under consideration. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. mr. smith: madam speaker, i yield five minutes to the gentleman from pennsylvania, mr. fitzpatrick, the sponsor of this legislation. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized for five minutes. mr. fits spat rick -- mr. fitzpatrick: thank you, chairman smith. your staff has been wonderful to work with and i'd like to give special recognition to carolyn lynch and art bake whore did a fantastic job of this bill. i rise to support this bill with needed reforms to the public safety officer's benefit improvement program. the public safety officers' benefits imact provided benefits to families of those

who lost their lives in the line of duty. now we have the opportunity through needed reforms to make the p.s.o.b. program even better this bill corrects a tragic oversight in current law that unfairly excludes certain first responders. my inspiration for ts bill, madam speaker, is daniel mcintosh. danny mac, as he is known to his family and friends, was a veteran of the ben salem emergency medical services. he serves numerous other bucks county communities both as paramedic and volunteer firefighter since 1993. he was a volunteer firefighters, he was a member of the nottingham fire department a newly swosh police officers, and attack medic for the bucks county swat team and bucks county hazardous material swat team. his life was dedicated to public service and he gave his life doing what he loved.

danny suffered a fatal heart attack while in the performance of his duties as a member of the ben salem rescue squad. because the entity he was working with was a nonprofit emergency medical service provider hurricanes family has been denied the psob benefit. this is an unfair treatment for those who put themselves in harm's way in service of their communities. this bill would change that and ensure families like danny's receive the benefits they deserve. i recognize and i thank the mcintosh family for the sacrifice they made to our couldn't. -- to our community. i also recognize the legacy of dale long a vermont e.m.t. killed in an ambulance accident in 2009 and whose life motivated a companion psob reform in the senate. i'm proud to sponsor this legislation for them and the loved ones of first responders all across our great country. finally, madam speaker, this

bill includes numerous taxpayer protections and streamlines the delivery of benefits. many of us came to congress on the promise to make government more efficient and more effective and this bill would do just that. members supporting this legislation will be able to report to their constituents that not only are they being good stewards of the taxpayer dollars but they're also improving a program that provides widely supported benefits to our nation's first responders. at this time, madam speaker, i note the support of many organizations for the bill, including the american ambulance association, the national association of emergency medical technicians, the national fra tern earn -- fraternaled or over police, the national association of police organizations, as well as several rescue squads from across my home state of pennsylvania. i want to again thank chairman smith and ranking member conyers for their leadership and support for this very important piece of reform

legislation. i urge my colleagues to support it as well and i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from pennsylvania yields back, the gentleman from texas reserves. the gentleman from georgia is recognized. mr. -- mr. johnson: m.l. 4018 appropriately expands the scope of this act to better assist our public safety officers and their families. the psob program has been an important means of supporting our public safety officers since 1976, when the authorizing legislation was enacted. initially, the program provided death benefits for certain officers but it has been expanded, it has since been expanded to apply to a wide range of those who protect us to now include federal, state and local police officers, firefighters, public rescue

squads, ambulance crews and chaplains of those agencies. the psob program currently provides death benefits in the norm of a one-time financial payment to eligible survivors of public safety officers whose deaths are the direct and proximate result of a personal injury sustained in the line of duty. the program also provides assistance financially to help pay higher education costs for the spouses and children of public safety officers from whom hsob death or disability benefits have been paid. this bill ex-pends -- extends coverage of the program to members of nonprofit rescue squads and ambulance crews who suffer fatal or catastrophic injury vulls of their performance of certain specified public safety activities within their specific lines of duty. the bill also extends coverage

to vascular raptures, in addition to existing coverage of heart attacks and strokes occurring during non-routine line of duty activities. h.r. 4018 also includes a number of other provisions clarifying inconsistencies that have arisen due to prior amendments of the psob act and makes the administration of the program more efficient so that these officers may more quickly obtain the benefits they and their families deserve. our public service officers willingingly undergo long hours and often dangerous conditions to protect all of us and we all know that they are not compensated at a level commensurate with the dangers they face and the importance of the service that they provide. when one of them dies or becomes disabled because they were acting to help us,

providing these benefits is the right thing to do. i hope this bill will make this program work even better for those unfortunate instances when it is necessary. i urge my colleagues to support this legislation and i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from georgia yields back. the gentleman from texas. mr. smith: i yield four minutes to the gentleman from texas, judge poe, a member of the judiciary committee. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized for four minutes. mr. poe: thank you, madam speaker. i'd like to thank the chairman for the time. i pesslerbley -- i especially want to thank representative fitzpatrick from pennsylvania for introducing this important legislation which makes improvements and reforms to the public safety officer's benefits program this program is intended to expedite the processing of claims and expand coverage to include some nonprofit emergency personnel who are currently not covered by this important program.

the reason why h.r. 4018 is important is because 72 police officers were killed by perpetrators in 2011 and that number represents a 25% increase from the previous year. and a 75% increase from 2008. one of these 72 was 38-year-old houston police officer george will. he was killed by an out of control drunk driver. officer will was investigating an accident and the drunk driver comes barreling down the freeway out of control and officer will sees him coming and pushes a witness out of the way so that witness to the first accident wouldn't be hit. while doing so, the drunk driver ran over and killed officer will. he left behind a wife, two stepchildren, and the wife he

left behind was pregnant. also in 2011, a total of 61 on-duty firefighters were killed in the united states. so in one year, that's 133 families that don't have a father or mother anymore. the last thing these families should have to worry about after facing the loss of a father or mother first responder is financial instability. madam speaker, in my career as a judge and former prosecutors in houston, i knew a lot of first rere-sponders. some of them were later killed in public service to our communities. so our nation's police, firefighters, e.m.s. workers are our true national treasures. they are the ones that run into burning buildings when everyone else runs out of those buildings. they put their lives on the line every day to keep us safe and protect our communities, they go into the shadows and

dark corners of our society looking for do-bads, outlaws and social misfits and this work, madam speaker, is dangerous. and when these ameri wake up every day they need to focus on the duty before them and they need to know if god forbid something happens to them on their duty shift that their family will be taken care of. for all these reasons i support h.r. 4018, i urge my colleagues to support it and once again i thank the gentleman from pennsylvania for this legislation. and that's just the way it is. i yield back, madam speaker. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from texas reserves. mr. smith: madam speaker, i understand that the gentleman from georgia has yielded back his time and if so i yield back the balance of my time as well. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from texas yields back. the question is will the house suspend the rules and pass h.r. 4018, as amended. those in favor say aye.

those opposed, no. in the opinion of the chair, 2/3 having responded in the affirmative -- mr. johnson: madam speaker. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from georgia rise? mr. johnson: madam speaker, i object to the vote on the grounds that a quorum is not present and i make a point of order that a quorum is not present. the speaker pro tempore: pursuant to clause 8 of rule 20, and the chair's prior announcement, further proceedings on this motion will be postponed. for what purpose does the gentleman from texas seek recognition? >> madam speaker, i move that

the house suspend the rules and pass h.r. 3 12. the speaker pro tempore: the clerk will report the title of the bill. the clerk: h.r. 3412, bail to designate the facility of the united states postal service located at 1421 veterans memorial drive in abbeville, louisiana, as the sergeant richard franklin abshire post office building. the speaker pro tempore: pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from texas, mr. farenthold, and the gentleman from missouri, mr. clay, each will control 20 minutes. the chair recognizes the gentleman from texas. mr. farenthold: thank you, madam speaker, i yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. farenthold: madam speaker, i ask unanimous consent that all members may have five legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on the bill under consideration. the speaker pro tempore: without objection.

mr. farenthold: madam speaker, h.r. 3412, introduced by the gentleman from to designate the facility of the united states postal service located at 1421 veterans memorial drive in abbeville, louisiana, as the sergeant richard franklin abshire post office building, mr. boustany, would designate the united states postal service located at 1421 veterans memorial drive in abbeville, to designate the facility of the united states postal service located at 1421 veterans memorial drive in abbeville, louisiana, as the sergeant richard franklin abshire post office building, as the sergeant richard franklin abshire post office building. this bill was introduced on november 14 of 2011 and was reported from the committee on government oversight and reform on february 7. sergeant richard franklin abshire was born on october 20, 1944, in to designate the facility of the united states postal service located at 1421 veterans memorial drive in abbeville, louisiana, as the sergeant richard franklin abshire post office building and served in the united states marine corps. service abshire was awarded the navy cross for extraordinary heroism while serving as platoon sergeant fourth marine, ninth marine amphibious brigade against the enemies in the republic of vietnam on may 2, 1968. sergeant abshire's unit and sister company launched a coordinated attack against a well-entrenched north vietnamese army force occupying

a village. by his superb leadership and courageous fighting and selfless devotion to duty, sergeant abshire inspired all who observed him and upheld the highest tradition of the united states marine corps and gained the united states -- and the united states naval service. he gallantly gave his life for his service. he died on may 2, 1968. madam speaker, sergeant richard franklin abshire is a very worthy designee of this postal facility naming, and i urge all members to join me in support of this bill, and he'll reserve the balance of my time at this point. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from texas reserves. the gentleman from missouri is recognized. mr. clay: madam speaker, i yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. clay: thank you, madam speaker. as a member of the house oversight and government reform committee, i'm pleased to join my colleagues in the consideration of h.r. 3412, to

designate the facility of the u.s. postal service located at 1421 veterans memorial drive in abbeville, to designate the facility of the united states postal service located at 1421 veterans memorial drive in abbeville, louisiana, as the sergeant richard franklin abshire post office building, as the sergeant richard franklin abshire post office building. and as was mentioned, sergeant richard abshire served as the platoon sergeant for company g, second battalion, fourth marines, ninth marines amphibious brigade during the vietnam war. and as was also mentioned, he was in a heavy firefight, and upon entering the village, sergeant abshire and his unit came under heavy enemy fire. the heavy small arms and automatic weapons fire halted the company, and sergeant abshire was directed to establish a defensive position with advantageousous firing positions.

as the hostilities increased, it became apparent that the vietnamese were preparing to launch a counterattack. sergeant abshire exposed himself to enemy fire to deploy the grenades that temporarily disoriented the enemy. returning to his unit, sergeant abshire moved along the lines shouting words of encouragement and directing his unit's fire. the sergeant then provided covering fire as his unit pulled back after expending his remaining ammunition, he attempted to rejoin his unit when he was mortally wounded in the head by a burst of enemy fire. and sergeant abshire was posthumously awarded the navy cross for his heroic actions, leading his unit and ensuring their return to safety. madam speaker, if anyone deserves a postal facility

named after them, it is sergeant abshire, and i urge the passage of the bill and i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from missouri reserves the balance of his time. the gentleman from texas is recognized. mr. farenthold: thank you, madam speaker. at this time i'd like to yield five minutes to my neighbor from the east from the great state of to designate the facility of the united states postal service located at 1421 veterans memorial drive in abbeville, louisiana, as the sergeant richard franklin abshire post office building, mr. boustany. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from to designate the facility of the united states postal service located at 1421 veterans memorial drive in abbeville, louisiana, as the sergeant richard franklin abshire post office building is recognized for five minutes. ms. hanabusa: thank you, madam speaker. -- mr. boustany: thank you, madam speaker. i'd like to thank the gentleman from texas for yielding time to me and i'd like to thank the committee for bringing this resolution to the house floor today. madam speaker, i rise in support of h.r. 3412, to designate the facility of the united states postal service located at 1421 veterans memorial drive in abbeville, to designate the facility of the united states postal service located at 1421 veterans memorial drive in abbeville, louisiana, as the sergeant richard franklin abshire post office building, as the sergeant richard franklin abshire post office building. i want to thank the oversight

and government reform committee for bringing this bill to the floor, and today it is really an honor for me to stand here today to celebrate the life of united states marine corps sergeant richard f. abshire, an extraordinary hero of the vietnam war. a native of abbeville, to designate the facility of the united states postal service located at 1421 veterans memorial drive in abbeville, louisiana, as the sergeant richard franklin abshire post office building, in my district, the heart of cajun country, he graduated from high school in 1962 and attended the university of southeastern to designate the facility of the united states postal service located at 1421 veterans memorial drive in abbeville, louisiana, as the sergeant richard franklin abshire post office building, lafayette, my hometown. serving in vietnam from december, 1969, until may, 1968, a young sergeant abshire had given over three years of service to his country in the marine corps. on may 2, 1968, while serving in the republic of vietnam, sergeant abshire led a coordinated attack against an entrenched north vietnamese force in a village. under small arms fire, he led his men to safety, sacrificing himself in the process.

upon entrance to the village, sergeant abshire's men began sustaining heavy losses from better positioned north vietnamese troops. acting quickly, the sergeant directed his men to establish a defensive perimeter, aiming a heavy volume of fire and then realizing the enemy was preparing a counterattack. sergeant abshire quickly obtained a number of hand grenades from his marines. navigating the fire while eggs posing himself to enemy fire, he disrupted their attack. returning to his men, sergeant abshire moved from position to position, shouting encouragement and directing fire. upon realizing they were dangerously low on ammunition, abshire directed his men to fall back while he, resolutely, provided cover fire until they reached safety. after extending the last of his ammunition, he was mortally wounded by a boost of enemy fire. sergeant abshire's actions are

an inspiration to marines. because of his heroic actions, he was posthumously awarded the navy cross father his bravery in a combat zone. shortly after sergeant abshire's death, his mother received the navy cross on his behalf in lafayette, to designate the facility of the united states postal service located at 1421 veterans memorial drive in abbeville, louisiana, as the sergeant richard franklin abshire post office building, from brigadier general mcilrany. i join with the town of abbeville for naming this post office for this man. as we honor sergeant abshire today, we must also recognize our present-day heroes serving around the globe, those who have fallen and those who continue to fight for our freedoms. we thank you as well as their families and the families of all our armed services. i now ask my colleagues to support this resolution and i yield back the balance of my time to my friend from texas. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from texas reserves. the gentleman from missouri is

recognized. mr. clay: madam speaker, i have no further speakers, and i urge passage of h.r. 3412, and i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from missouri yields back. the gentleman from texas is recognized. mr. farenthold: thank you, madam speaker. i join with the gentleman from to designate the facility of the united states postal service located at 1421 veterans memorial drive in abbeville, louisiana, as the sergeant richard franklin abshire post office building, the gentleman from missouri in urging all of my colleagues and house members to support the passage of h.r. 3412, renaming and creating the sergeant richard franklin abshire post office and yield back the remainder of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. the question is will the house suspend the rules and pass h.r. 3412. those in favor say aye. those opposed, no. in the opinion of the chair, 2/3 having responded in the affirmative -- mr. clay: madam speaker. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from missouri is recognized. mr. clay: madam speaker, i object to the vote on the grounds that a quorum is not present and i make a point of order that a quorum is not present.

the speaker pro tempore: pursuant to clause 8 of rule 20 and the chair's prior announcement, further proceedings on this motion will be postponed. for what purpose does the gentleman from texas seek recognition? mr. farenthold: madam speaker, i move the house suspend the rules and pass h.r. 3501. the speaker pro tempore: the clerk will report the title of the bill. the clerk: h.r. 3501, a bill to designate the facility of the united states postal service located at 125 kerr avenue in rome city, indiana, as the s.p.c. nicholas scott hartge post office.

the speaker pro tempore: pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from texas, mr. farenthold, and the gentleman from missouri, mr. clay, each will control 20 minutes. the chair recognizes the gentleman from texas. mr. farenthold: thank you, madam speaker. i yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. farenthold: thank you, madam speaker. i also ask unanimous consent that all members may have five legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and place extraneous material on the bill under consideration. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. mr. farenthold: thank you, madam speaker. h.r. 3501, introduced by the gentleman from indiana, mr. stutzman, would designate the facility of the united states postal service located at 125 kerr avenue in rome city, indiana, as the s.p.c. nicholas scott hartge post office. this bill was introduced on november 18, 2011, and was reported favorably by the committee of oversight and government reform on the 7th of february. nicholas hartge grew up in rome city, indiana, and in high school decided to join the military. nicholas served in the third platoon and charlie company in the first infantry division and his company was deployed to iraq in august of 2006. nicholas' commanding officer took note of the young man's character and aptitude and helped him begin the process

for applying to west point. while the prospect of becoming an offer -- he never deviated from his devotion to his fellow soldiers. and -- on may 20, 2007, specialist hartge's unit came under heavy attacwhile maneuvering through enemy fire. and the humvee was struck by a roadside bomb. nicholas hartge received a commendation medal for outstanding achievement in the capture of abu had a san, a known facilitator in baghdad. he was awarded the bronze star for his heroic action on the day he was killed. madam speaker, specialist nicholas scott hartge is very well worthy and the appropriate designee of this postal facility naming, and i urge all members to join me in support of this bill and reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves.

the gentleman is recognized. >> i yield myself such time as may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. clay: i rise to join my colleagues in consideration of h.r. 3501 to designate the facile toity of the united states post office located eaa at 125 kerr avenue in rome city, indiana, as the s.p.c. nicholas scot hartge post office. this bill is co-sponsored by all members of the indiana delegation and was reported out of the committee by unanimous consent on february 7, 2012. nicholas hartge was adamant about joining the military after the personal effect that

the september 11 attacks had on him. he enlisted in the army before graduating from east noble high school in kendallville, indiana, in 2005. in august, 2006, he was deployed and stationed in baghdad. on may 14, 2007, hartge was killed when the vehicle he was riding in came in contact with an improvised explosive device. four other soldiers on patrol with hartge sustained burn wods on as much as 70% of their bodies from the attack and nicholas scott hartge made the ultimate sacrifice for his country and his dedication and courage are a testament to the men and women of the united states armed forces. for this reason, the post office in rome city, indiana, should be named in his honor. i ask that we pass the underlying bill to honor the service, sacrifice, and valor

of specialist nicholas scott hartge. madam speaker, i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from missouri reserves. the gentleman from texas is recognized. mr. farenthold: i'd like to yield five minutes to my dwisht colleague and friend from indiana. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. >> i thank the gentleman from texas and the gentleman from missouri for their support today. i would also like to thank each member of the indiana delegation for their sponsorship of this bill as well. mr. stutzman: i rise in support of h.r. 3501, to designate the facility of the united states post office located at 125 kerr avenue in rome city, indiana, as the "spc nicholas scott hartge post office."

he was a boy scot, a the president:er boy a wrestler and member of the marching band. his cheerful manner and work ethic were contagious he decided to enlist in the army in his junior year of high school. his loving mother, laurie, tells the story of his patriotic son who was so eager to serve his country that a freight train couldn't stop him. only a week after graduation, he left for boot camp in fort benning, georgia he chose to serve in the infantry. in august, 2006, he and hi unit, first battalion, infantryberry grade connell bat team were deployed to iraq. far from the safe i have to his indiana home, he patrolled the streets of a neighborhood in east central baghdad. the spite his age, his determination and attitude set him apart. members of the third platoon charlie company knew they could depend on him. in the midst of a war zone, he served with distinction and earned the respect of his

fellow soldiers and commanders. his gifts and strengths were known to those he had served with. with the goal of attending west point, he worked with his commanding officer to prepare himself for the challenging ahead. during a leave, specialist hartge came home and took the s.a.t. test in preparation for west point. the he could have taken a different path, his devotion to his unit led him to put his pursuit of the academy on hold until he finished his combat tour. putting aside his own safety, he returned to iraq to serve alongside his unit. on may 14, 2007, his patrol came under heavy attack. while navigating through intense fire, his humvee hit a roadside bomb. specialist hart fwee lost his life in that attack. he was awarded the bronze star for his final act of he he rowism. hoosiers and those across the country enjoy our freedom

because people like nicholas and others fight for us. naming this post office is a small but important gesture to remember this young man. thank you for your support and i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from texas reserves. the gentleman from missouri is recognized. mr. clay: i have no further speakers. i urge passage of h.r. 3501 and yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from missouri yields back. the gentleman from texas is recognized. mr. farenthold: i urge all members to support the passage of h.r. 3501, honoring specialist nicholas scott hartge and yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. the question is, will the house suspend the rules and pass h r.

3501? those in favor say aye. those opposed, no. in the opinion of the chair, 2/3 being in the affirmative, the rules -- the gentleman from missouri is recognized. mr. clay: i object to the vote on the grounds that a quorum is not present and make a point of order that a quorum is not present. the speaker pro tempore: pursuant to clause 8 of rule 20 and the chair's prior announcement, further proceedings on this motion will be postponed. for what purpose does the gentleman from texas rise? mr. farenthold: i move that the house suspend the rules and pass h.r. 3772. the speaker pro tempore: the clerk will report the title of the bill. the clerk: h.r. 37 2, a bill to designate the facility of the united states postal service located at 150 south union street in canton, mississippi, as the first sergeant landres cheeks post office building. the speaker pro tempore: purr suchte to the rule, the gentleman from texas, mr. farenthold, and the gentleman

from missouri, mr. clay, each will control 20 minutes. the chair recognizes the gentleman from texas. mr. fanchtehold: i ask unanimous consent that all members have five legislative days to rhett re-their remarks and include extraneous material in the record on the bill under consideration. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. farenthold: thank you, madam speaker. h r. 377 , introduced by the gentleman from mississippi, mr. thompson, would designate the facile i have to the united states postal service located at 150 south union street in canton, mississippi, as the first sergeant landres cheeks post office building this bill was introduced on the 13th of january and was reported from the committee on oversight and government reform with a favorable report on february 7. sergeant cheeks served in the united states army medical core for 30 years, serving in world war ii in germany and france and also in the vietnam war. he's a decorated serviceman having received numerous

distinctions, including the national defense medal, the vietnam service medal, the army ock national -- occupationaled me oofl germany, the bronze star medal, the world war ii victory medal and the american campaign medal. beyond military service, sergeant cheeks was a role model in his community in mississippi, serving numerous community organizations including the madison county union for progress as chairman. the union for progress is a private organization that helps citizens seek and secure employment. he also served on the board of directors of the canton housing authority. cheeks was married for 66 years and raised six sons and three daughters. six of his children followed in his footsteps and served this country in the military. madam speaker, first sernlt landres cheeks is a worth -- first sergeant landres cheeks is a worthy designee of this naming. i urge all members to support this bill and reserve the balance of my time.

the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from missouri is recognized. mr. clay: i yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. clay: as a member of the house jovet and oversight reform committee, i join my colleagues from consideration of h.r. 3772, a bill to designate the facile i have to the united states postal service located at 150 south union street in canton, mississippi, as the first sergeant landres cheeks post office building. the measure was first introduced on january 13, 2012, by my colleague, representative benny thompson, in accordance with committee -- bennie thompson, in accordance with committee rirpte, it was co-sponsored by all members of the mississippi dell nation. madam speaker, at this time, i would like to yield to the gentleman from mississippi as much time as he cares to

consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized for such time as he may consume. mr. thompson: thank you very much, madam speaker. madam speaker, today i rise in support of my bill, h.r. 3772, which seeks to designate the united states postal facility located at 150 south union street in canton, mississippi, as the landres cheeks post office. i introduced this bill to bring recognition to the outstanding works and commitment of retired first sergeant landres cheeks to both the united states of america and to the city of canton, mississippi. i am pleased to have my colleagues in the mississippi delegation join me as original co-sponsors. first sergeant cheeks has been a true patriot of our country and an integral part of his community for more than 60 years. he's designated his life after

serbing our country for three decades giving back to the citizens of canton. his mission to economically empower, inspire, and motivate the people of canton have proven him to be an invaluable asset to the community. he served the united states army medical corps for 30 years, participating in germany and france during world war ii and the vietnam war. he's a deck kated serviceman, having received the national defense medal, army commendation medal, vietnam service medal, vietnam campaign medal, army of occupation medal of germany, bronze star medal, world war ii victory medal, american campaign medal, and a good service conduct medal. in 2001, he was atwheard blue cross -- blue cross-blue shield ageless hero award, an honor given in the spirit and vitality of our nation's seniors age 65 and over who

have proven themselves exemplary in areas of community involvement, creativity, good neighboring, love of learning, new beginning and vitality. sergeant cheeks has proven himself to be a role model of his community. after having been honorably discharged from the military, it was later discovered that sergeant cheeks had cabblingted agent orange and developed post-traumatic stress syndrome. nonetheless, he began to -- he persevered and began helping the people of canton with searches for employment and form lating and sponsoring extracurricular activity for the youth of canton. not only is sergeant cheeks dedicated to economic equality and bettering the community but is dedicated to civic engagement and involvement. he sits on the voter registration committee and serves as member of the committee of the naacp.

he's been a pillar in his community for more than half a century and served our country honorably. i cannot find a more noble or better suited to have a building named in his honor. mr. speaker, the house government and oversight reform committee reported that first sergeant cheeks' post office building favorably by a voice vote on february 7. i urge my colleagues to support this necessary, bipartisan, noncontroversial bill which will bring nudge deseaverpbed appropriate recognition to a true patriot and outstanding member of society. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from missouri reserves. mr. clay: we have no other speakers. i think that my friend and colleague from mississippi has sufficiently given us the reasons why this house should adopt this resolution and i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from missouri yield back. the jelled from texas is

recognized. mr. farenthold: thank you, madam speaker. i urge my colleagues to support renaming the postal facility at 150 south union street in canton, mississippi, the first sergeant landres cheeks post office building and support the passage of h.r. 3772 and i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the question is, will the house suspend the rules and pass h.r. 3772? those in favor say aye. those opposed, no. in the opinion of the chair, 2/3 being -- mr. clay: madam speaker. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from missouri rise? mr. clay: i object to the vote on the grounds that a quorum is not present and make a point of order that a quorum is not present. the speaker pro tempore: pursuant to clause 8 of rule 20 and the chair's prior anountment, further proceedings on this motion will be postponed. for what purpose does the gentleman from texas seek recognition? mr. farenthold: i move that the house suspend the rules and pass h.r. 3276.

the speaker pro tempore: the clerk will report the title of the bill. the clerk: h.r. 3276, a bill to designate the facility of the united states postal service located at 2810 east hillsborough avenue in tampa, florida, as the reverend abe brown post office building. the speaker pro tempore: pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from texas, mr. farenthold, and the gentleman from missouri, mr. clay, each will control 20 minutes. the chair recognizes the gentleman from texas. mr. farenthold: thank you, madam speaker. i yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. farenthold: thank you, madam speaker. i ask unanimous consent that all members may have five legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on the bill under consideration. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. mr. farenthold: thank you, madam speaker. h.r. 3276, introduced by the gentlewoman from florida, ms. castor, would designate the facility of the united states postal service located at 2810 east hillsborough avenue in tampa, florida, as the reverend abe brown post office building.

this bill was introduced october, 2011 and reported out of the committee of overithe and government reform. he was a beloved pastor of the first church of college hill, educator, football coach, dean of the chamberlain high school and later renamed abe brown ministries. he was dean of student at chamberlain when congresswoman castor went there. she passed away saturday, september 11, 2010, at the age of 83. madam speaker, remped abe brown is a very worthy designee of this postal facility naming, and i urge my colleagues to support this bill and reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from texas reserved. the gentleman from missouri is recognized. mr. clay: madam speaker, i yield myself such time as i may

consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. clay: as a member of the house oversight and government reform committee, i am pleased to join my colleagues in the consideration of h.r. 3276, a bill to designate the facility of the u.s. postal service in hillsborough, -- on hillsborough avenue in tampa, florida, as the reverend abe brown post office building. and this bill meets the requirements of our committee, and at this time i'd like to yield to the gentlewoman from florida, ms. castor, as much time as she may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman from florida is recognized for such time as she may consume. ms. castor: madam speaker, i thank my colleague from missouri and also my colleague from texas. i rise in strong support today of h.r. 3276, a bill to name the post office located at 2810 east hillsborough avenue, in tampa, florida, as the reverend abe brown post office. i introduced this bill to honor the life and accomplishments of

the late reverend abe brown. the reverend brown was an educator, a pastor and he devoted his entire life to helping others, whether it was in the classroom, in the guidance office, on the football field, in church or through his ongoing ministry. reverend brown was a tampa native. he was a 1946 graduate of the great middleton high school, and in 1950 graduate of florida a&m university. he came home after he graduated from there and worked for the hillsborough county school. he worked as a teacher, as a coach, dean of students and an administrator. as an educator and coach he promoted 16 athletes to professional football. he loved football. these professional players attribute their success in life

and not just on the football field to the firm foundation and inspirational teachings of their beloved middleton high school coach, reverend abe brown. i had the honor of attending chamberlain high school when he served as dean of students before he retired in 1988. and he was tough. he was tough on the outside but inside he had a heart of gold. reverend brown also served as the pastor for the first baptist church of college hill for many years. his deep and abiding faith led him -- or called him to find the prison crusades ministries. it was renamed as the reverend abe brown ministries, ink. it's a nonprofit -- ministries, inc. it's a nonprofit organization to help them achieve productive and spiritually fulfilling lives. it has made a real difference throughout the tampa bay area.

reverend brown continued his social outreach and in 1991 he received nationwide coverage in an article in the readers digest regarding his implementation of an effort to stop drug street sales in college hill community. he passed away in september, 2010, after serving the tampa bay area in many compass its for many years. with the help of the east tampa community, we fought to keep this particular post office open last summer. it was considered for closure, but it is a real focal point for the east tampa community and it is a very busy branch. so i look forward to dedicating this station to the reverend abe brown as does our entire community. he was a role model for young people and an inspiration for our entire community. he selflessly devoted his life to others and instead of abandoning those who had lost their way, he worked tirelessly

to help them get back on track. i thank the entire florida delegation who sponsored this legislation in a bipartisan basis, i thank the committee, the ranking member and the chair and i ask my colleagues to support h.r. 3276 in honor of reverend brown' selfless service to the tampa bay community. i yield back the balance of my time. mr. clay: madam speaker, i thank the gentlewoman from florida and i ask that we pass the underlying bill without reservation to recognize reverend abe brown's contributions and i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from missouri yields back. the gentleman from texas is recognized. mr. farenthold: thank you, madam speaker. i was moved by the gentlelady from florida's recollections of this fine reverend abe brown and am confident that my colleagues will join me in supporting the bill, h.r. 37 -- i'm sorry -- h.r. 3276,

renaming the postal service located at 2810 east hillsborough avenue in tampa, florida, as the reverend abe brown and i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. the question is will the house suspend the rules and pass h.r. 3276. those in favor say aye. those opposed, no. in the opinion of the chair -- the gentleman from missouri is recognized. mr. clay: i object to the vote on the grounds that a quorum is not present and i make a point of order that a quorum is not present. the speaker pro tempore: pursuant to clause 8 of rule 20 and the chair's prior announcement, further proceedings on this motion will be postponed. for what purpose does the gentleman from texas seek recognition? mr. farenthold: madam speaker, i move that the house suspend the rules and concur in the senate amendment to h.r. 2297. the speaker pro tempore: the clerk will report the title of the bill. the clerk: h.r. 2297, an act to promote the development of the southwest waterfront in the district of columbia, and for other purposes, senate

amendment. the speaker pro tempore: pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from texas, mr. farenthold, and the gentleman from missouri, mr. clay, each will control 20 minutes. the chair recognizes the gentleman from texas. mr. farenthold: thank you, madam speaker. i yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. farenthold: thank you, madam speaker. i ask that all members have five legislative days within which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on the bill under consideration. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. mr. farenthold: madam speaker, i'll keep my comments brief. back in december the house unanimously approved the base text of the legislation before us today, h.r. 2297. h.r. 2297 was improved and updated zoning laws to allow the district of columbia the flexibility to sell or lease real property in the southwest waterfront to a private sector developer. there's currently a $2 billion redevelopment plan pending to renovate this area which is only a stone's throw from the

u.s. capitol building. on march 29, the senate unanimously approved this legislation with an amendment which is what brings us here today. the senate amendment also concerns the development of the southwest waterfront. it de-authorization a part of a 77-year-old navigation project in the waterway, essentially transferring jurisdiction from the u.s. army corps of engineers to the district of columbia in order for the redevelopment project to move forward and help spur economic development in the southwest waterfront area here in washington, d.c. the army corps of engineers has reported no concerns with this transfer. in addition, madam speaker, the senate language is identical to the text of the bill the house unanimously approved last congress. the last point i'd like to make, according to the c.b.o., there's no budgetary costs associated with the bill now before us. i'd like to thank the ranking member, ms. norton, for working with us on this legislation and the senate for including this important amendment. and i urge my colleagues to

support this measure and reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from texas reserves. the gentleman from missouri is recognized. mr. clay: madam speaker, i yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. clay: i want to thank the chairman of the full committee, mr. issa, and the chair of the subcommittee, mr. gowdy, for working closely with our side on this bill so that we can get it to the floor today. i also thank the ranking member of the full committee, mr. cummings, and mr. davis, the subcommittee ranking member, for their important consultation. h.r. 2297, which was introduced by my friend and colleague, congresswoman norton, will allow development of the waterfront area in southwest washington, d.c. the bill makes technical changes concerning land owned on the southwest waterfront by

the district of columbia sense the early 1960's. the legislation then transferred the land to the district, contains restrictions typical of the prehome move period. h.r. 2297 updates that obsolete legislation, to allow for the highest and best use of the land. the restrictions serve no federal purpose. however, the unintended effect was to make a wasted asset of land that could be productive and revenue and jobs producing. the relevant federal agencies have been consulted on h.r. 2297 and have raised no objections. the bill will allow mix use development on the waterfront for the first time. it will create jobs and raise local revenue at a time when they are needed most. and the federal government has no interest in the southwest waterfront other than the main

lobster man memorial and the titanic memorial which the district and the national park service have worked together to preserve. madam speaker, the bill expands goods that could be sold at the fish market on the waterfront and a market well-known in the region. this is a noncontroversial bill that removes out-of-date restrictions, and at this time -- and involves no cost to the federal government. at this time i yield to the gentlewoman from the district of columbia. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman from the district of columbia is recognized for as much time as she may consume. ms. norton: i only have brief rarkts. i associate my remarks to the gentleman from texas and the gentlewoman from missouri and thank them for bringing this bill forward. very special thanks to chairman darrell issa and ranking member

cummings for their considerable assistance on this bill and for two other good friends, representative gowdy, the ranking member, and representative davis, ranking member of the full committee. the bill is essentially incorporates technical changes for land that has been owned for almost 50 years by the district of columbia but most such land passed on the so-called prehome rule period, contained language that would -- is obsolete today and prevents the highest and best use. last congress the smaller part of this bill, the washington channel bill, was passed unanimously in committee and in -- on this house floor, the docs part of the house bill had to be updated because it comes from the 1800's when the

district of columbia was a port and this allows the district to use it for today's voting activities. all the relevant agencies and i appreciate the work of the coast guard and the navy and -- in signing off on this bill. and i particularly appreciate the work of the member from texas, the member from missouri in bringing this forward and the chairman and ranking member, once again, of the oversight and government reform bill and its subcommittee and i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman from d.c. yields back the balance of her time. the gentleman from missouri yields back? mr. clay: i urge passage of the bill and i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from missouri yields back. the gentleman from texas is recognized.

mr. farenthold: thank you, madam speaker. i join with my colleagues in supporting this bipartisan, economic greth and jobs bill, it will create a vital new area in what is developing as a vibrant part of the district of columbia and urge my colleagues to support h.r. 2297 and i yield back the e-- the remainder of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. the question is, will the house suspend the rules and concur in the senate amendment to h.r. 2297? those in favor say aye. those opposed, no. in the opinion of the chair, the rules are suspended, the senate amendment is agreed to and without objection the motion to reconsider is laid on the table.

for what purpose does the gentleman from new york seek recognition? >> i move that the house suspend the rules and pass h.r. 4251 as amended by the homeland security committee. the speaker pro tempore: the clerk will report the title of the bill. clip h.r. 4251, a bill to authorize, enhance and support certain maritime activities through risk-based targeting and for other purposes. the speaker pro tempore: pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from new york, mr. king, and the gentleman from mississippi, mr. thompson, each will control 20 minutes. the chair recognizes the gentleman from new york. mr. king: i ask unanimous consent that all members have five legislative days within which to revise and extend their remarks and include any extraneous material on the bill under consideration. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. mr. king: i yield myself such

time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. king: i would like to thank chairman miller for her hard work on this bipartisan legislation. after the attacks of september 11, congress recognized the importance of securing our nation's ports. smart port, billing on the work of the port act of 1996, addresses new maritime security challenges as the maritime port continues to evolve and grow. this legislation accomplishes this by using a hisk-based framework, before threats reach our shores, fostering a collaborative environment between customs and border protection and the u.s. coast guard this bill would extend the validity of those twik that

is due to expire this year. this is a good bill, i urge my colleagues to support it and i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from new york reserves. the gentleman from mississippi is recognized. mr. thompson: i yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. thompson: i am pleased the house is meeting today to consider h.r. 4251. this bill includes a number of democrat-sponsored provisions. representative loretta sanchez offered a provision to strengthen the integrity of the twic program. representative laura richardson authored language to allow port

ortors to use grant funds to secure provided by local law enforcement. representive -- h.r. 4251 also includes language modeled after a bill i introduced, h.r. 1105, to relieve the nation's port and transportation workers from the hassle and expense of renewing their five-year twic cards, given that d.h.s. has not done its job to fully implement the security program. specifically section 206 of this bill would relieve current twic holders, the men and women who work in our ports from being required to secure new identification cards beginning in october, 2012, given that d.h.s. has not even issued a draft rule for biometric readers. for the full security po ten thombl program to be realized,

there must be readers installed at ports to match the biometric cards with the individuals presenting them. since 2007, over 2.1 million longshoremen, truckers, merchant mariners and rail and vessel crew members have undergone extensive homeland security and criminal background checks and paid a $132.50 fee to secure twics. since it was considered by the full committee, d.h.s. has taken positive steps to address the upcoming renewable predicament. specifically they recreptly announced that starting this august, workers will be eligible for a three-year twic renewal card at a discounted rate and with fewer visits to the enrollment center. this is a positive development but more must be done. the bill before us today allows workers to can't to use their

twics for the next two years while providing an incentive for d.h.s. to move forward on readers as soon as possible. i will be inserting into the record under general leave a letter re-- we received today from transportation trades department, afl-cio, expressing their support for this bill and a provision making common sense challenges to the -- changes to the program. with that i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from mississippi reserves. the gentleman from new york is recognized. mr. king: i yield as much time as she may consume to the author of the bill, the distinguished gentlelady from michigan, mrs. miller. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady is recognized for such time as she may consume. mrs. miller: i thank the chairman for his support of the bill and thank the gentleman for the time as well. i rise in support of h.r. 4251.

i'm convinced that this bill will tangibly enhance the nation's security. we spend a lot of time as a nation and a congress focusing on security threats at the northern and southern borders. but we need to remember that we have a long maritime boarder that needs protection as well. a disruption at a port, particularly as a terrorist attack, could disrupt the economy. we cannot afford to ignore threats to our nation's security and to that end, smart port builted on the 2006 state port -- safe fort act to prevent threat pfers they reach our shore. it emphasizes sharing port security duties and leverages the security work of our trusted allies. if we learned anything, it's that we need to move from the need to know information to the

need to share information. they must cooperate and form partnerships with state and local agencies in order to improve maritime security. what happens in our waterways and ports affects our nation. it is incumbent on us to recognize maritime security is not the province of the government alone. leveraging partnerships with private industry is common sense and trusted shippers program like the customs trade partnership or the ct pack or companies that make significant investments redeuces the amount of resources that we need to spend looking at cargo shipments we know the least about. canada and ports in europe have similar measures in place to accept other country's trusted shipper programs when they provide an equal level of

security. not only does it share the burden -- alleviate the burden of having to verify those it expedites the program the american port worker, truck driver and others who make port operations run smoothly are another critical maritime security layer. they are required to obtain the twic cards the ranking member and chairman have mentioned. these individuals have complied with the law, done their part, purchased a card and in many cases traveled long distances to go to the enrollment center, maybe not once, but twice, and undergone the background check but the united states government has not done their part. the department of homeland security has yet to release the twic reader rule, meaning the biometric information embeded on the car, valid fiing the worker's identity, isn't being

confirmed. it's become little more than an expensive flash pass. the coast guard and t.s.a. must produce the twic reader rule necessary to give american workers and port facilities certainty after years of delay. as well, we should be cognizant of the fact that the c.b.c. and writes coast card cannot scan every truck, every cargo container or bulk ship 789 that come into american ports. it's cost prohibitive but would also cripple the just in time delivery system that the industry relies on to keep american commerce running. instead, i believe the security of the supply chain is maximized through the use of a risk-based methodology a key element in this bill. smart, cost-effective choices have to be made that maximize our resources while ensuring the security of our ports and by that, our ex-tense of our way of life. this bill, madam speaker is a step toward smarter security that encourages d.h.s. to

become more efficient, better i want grate and more closely coordinated among its component industry and international partners. i want to thank chairman king for his support of this bill and ranking member thompson of the full committee and my counterpart of the -- on the subcommittee as well, ranking member cuellar. with that, i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman yields back. the gentleman from new york reserves. the gentleman from mississippi is recognized. mr. thompson: thank you, madam speaker. i yield as much time as she may consume to the gentlewoman from california, ms. richardson. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. -- the gentlewoman is recognized. ms. richardson: i rise in support of the smart port security act, h.r. 4251. i'm a proud co-sponsor of chairwoman miller's legislation and commend her for her efforts on this legislation to our nation. at a time when media reports asume that congress doesn't work together, i'm pleased to

note that i've been able to work with chairwoman miller and the committee in a bipartisan fashion to have two of my bills incorporated into the smart port security act. as a senior member of the homeland security committee and a representative of a district neighboring the ports of both long beach and los angeles, the largest in this country, i have made port security a priority of mine. ports are the first line of defense at our sea borders and serve vital national interests by serving the deployment and mobilization of u.s. troops, supporting the flow of trade and supporting our economy. 95% of all goods entering or exiting our country go through our nation's ports and 45% of those actually go through the community i represent. in the next 20 years, u.s. overseas trade is expected to double and in light of the terrorist attacks on september 11, 2001, heightened awareness about the vulnerability of all

modes of transportation to terrorist acts are a priority of us on this committee. included in the smart port security act are two pieces of legislation i authored. port security boots on the ground act and port security equipment improvement act. both of these bills involve the use of existing port security grant funds. the port security grant program provides funding to port authorities, facility operators and state and local government agencies so that they can provide security services to our ports. however, prior to my introduced legislation, port security grant funds could not be used to fund statutorily mandated personnel costs. my port security boots on the ground act, incorporated into h.r. 4251, correct this is inconsistency between port security grant programs and other grant funding programs. to prevent the possibility of waste, fraud, and abuse, the possible -- the amount of

security personnel cost awarded are limited to 50% of the total grant amount in any fiscal year. the maritime transportation security act and the safe port act authorize funds to identify vulnerabilities in port security and ensure compliance with mandated sport security plans. my legislation made these funds workable and removed red tape from state, local and government ebt the -- entities. i thank chairman miller for included my boots on the ground act and the second inclusion also should be highlighted with the port security equipment improvement act accepted by unanimous consent as an amendment to h.r. 4 51 in the full committee markup. the port security equipment improvement act gives resip yens of port security grant funds whether it is more cost effective to repair or replace security equipment. i have heard from many authorities in my district and

around the area about their frustration about not being given the opportunity to purchase newer, improved security equipment this will give recipients of the funds the ability to fix or replace defective security equipment, thereby making the best use of limited resources. i appreciate congresswoman candace miller for working with me and having both of my bill the port security boots on the ground act and the port security equipment immaterial prufmente act included in the smart port security act legislation before us today. i look forward to continuing to work with the chairwoman, the committee and staff on protecting our ports. i urge my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to join us in supporting the smart port security and and i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from mississippi reserves. the gentleman from new york is recognized. mr. king: i have no further

speakers so i am prepared to close if he. mr. cummings: i am prepared to close. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from mississippi is recognized. mr. cummings: thank you, madam speaker. i would note that my support for the smart security act is rooted in the twic program but also seeks to improve cooperation between d.h.s.'s maritime components and strengthening procurement practices. mr. thompson: this strengthens the security of america's ports and waterways and ensure the department of homeland security's maritime security efforts are effective and efficient, as practicable. with that, madam speaker, i urge the passage of h.r. 4251 and yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from mississippi yields back. the gentleman from new york is recognized. mr. can you think: -- mr. king: the smart port

security act reduces redundancies and i ask my colleagues to support the bill. i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. the question is will the house suspend the rules and pass h.r. 4251 as amended. those in favor say aye. those opposed, no. in the opinion of the chair, 2/3 having responded in the affirmative, the rules are suspended, the bill is agreed to and without objection -- the gentleman from mississippi. mr. thompson: madam speaker, obtobt and i make a point of order that a quorum is not present. -- madam speaker, i object to the vote on the grounds that a quorum is not present and i make a point of order that a quorum is not present. the speaker pro tempore: pursuant to clause 8 of rule 20 and the chair's prior announcement, further proceedings on this motion will be postponed. for what purpose does the gentleman from new york rise? mr. king: madam speaker, i ask

that the house suspend the rules and pass h.r. 4 o004, as amended. the speaker pro tempore: the clerk will report the title of the bill. cloir h.r. 4005, a bill to direct the secretary of homeland security to conduct a study and report to congress on gaps in port security in the united states and a plan to address them. the speaker pro tempore: pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from new york, mr. king, and the gentleman from mississippi, mr. thompson, each will control 20 minutes. the chair recognizes the gentleman from new york. mr. king: madam speaker, i ask unanimous consent that all members may have five legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and include any extraneous material on the bill under consideration. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. mr. king: madam speaker, i yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. king: madam speaker, h.r. 4005, the gauging american port security act, or gaps act, is a commonsense bill and requires the secretary of homeland security to determine if

appropriate security measures to protect the nation's ports are in place or if gaps in the security of u.s. ports exist. it is important not to forget our largest border, the maritime border. while d.h.s. employs a layered approach to maritime and port security on risk, it's important to know where the gaps in the current risk-based approach exists which may have a detrimental impact on the security of our nation's ports and global supply chain. while d.h.s.'s come a long way in articulating the need for greater maritime cooperation through its maritime coordination plan and similar interagency centers and other regional operation centers, this bill will ensure it allows d.h.s. to better execute its risk-based approach to maritime and port security. i'd like to especially thank

congresswoman janice hahn for her support on this bill and i ask my colleagues to support it. i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from new york reserves. the gentleman from mississippi is recognized. mr. thompson: thank you, madam speaker. madam speaker, i rise in support of h.r. 4005, the gauging american port security act, and i yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from mississippi is recognized. mr. thompson: thank you, madam speaker. madam speaker, this bill, authored by representative janice hahn, a member of the department of homeland security, would require the secretary of homeland security to conduct a study of the gaps in port security in the united states. the study which would be submitted to congress, must set forth a prioritization of those security gaps and a plan for addressing them. finally, the bill would require that the secretary of homeland security to share relevant port security information as appropriate with federal, state

and local government partners as well as port owners and operators who are involved in protecting ports. given the importance of america's ports and waterways to our nation and its economy, they are an attractive target for terrorists and criminals. the impact of a terrorist attack on a major port would be catastrophic with massive economic losses in addition to probable loss of life. by requiring a comprehensive assessment of port security vulnerabilities and a plan for addressing them, we will be one step closer to making our ports and our nation more secure. with that, madam speaker, i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from mississippi reserves. the gentleman from new york is recognized. mr. king: madam speaker, i yield three minutes to the gentleman from texas, mr. poe, who is co-chair of the port security caucus along with congresswoman hahn. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from texas is recognized for three minutes.

mr. poe: i thank the gentleman from new york for yielding and his work on this legislation. i also want to thank subcommittee chairman miller for her work on this as well and both seeing the need to fix the gaps that are in our port security. i want to thank the gentlelady from california, ms. hahn, who introduced this legislation. we are both alumni from the same school. i'm sure you've heard of it, abilene christian university from west texas, closest port to abilene is i guess a port dock at fort fanin lake, if you want to call that a port. but anyway, this bill is a good example of bipartisan work, both sides of the house on an issue that is important to all of us, security, national security, port security. congresswoman hahn and i recently founded the congressional ports caucus to raise awareness about ports in congress and our nation. she represents west coast

ports. i represent ports on the gulf coast. we saw the need of the discussion of ports because of the importance to our nation and to our economy. since we both have ports in our back yard that's why the caucus was formed. we have over 65 members in both parties from all regions across the united states and some members don't even have a port in their district but all see that ports are a national security issue. one discussion we hoped to continue through the caucus is the need to ensure our ports are safe and secure. and meeting with industry groups and administration officials, it became evident to us that an updated plan on how ports should remain operational in the event of an attack really doesn't exist. there are gaps in our port security. the gaps act is an important step in addressing this existing problem in port security. any attack on our nation's ports would be detrimental to the economy because ports play a large role in facilitating

the flow of commerce. most of the products in our stores arrive through ports and are transported by other means to stores throughout the nation. a crisis event causing a port to shut down would be greatly -- would greatly affect our economy. people would be out of work. both the chairman and ranking members of the homeland security committee support this legislation. i'm grateful for that and i urge all of my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to support this legislation. port security is not a partisan issue. it's a national security issue that we all should be concerned about, and i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from new york continues to reserve. the gentleman from mississippi is recognized. mr. thompson: thank you very much, madam speaker. madam speaker, i yield such time as she may consume to the gentlewoman from california, a member of the committee on homeland security and the original sponsor of h.r. 4005,

ms. hahn. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman from california is recognized for such time as she may consume. ms. hahn: thank you, madam speaker. i would like to begin by recognizing and thanking chairman king and ranking member thompson for their continued leadership on this incredibly important issue. the lessons of 9/11 have taught us that we must be continuously vigilant and pro active in seeking out -- proactive in seeking out our country's most pressing threats. that's why after 9/11 this congress strengthened what proved to be one of our nation's biggest security threats up to that point, aviation security, and while i applaud the great strides we made in aviation security, we have not made the same level of improvements in port security. this was such a priority for me when i came to congress last summer that at my very first homeland security hearing focusing on the 9/11 commission's recommendations to congress, i asked lee hamilton, the vice chairman of the 9/11

commission, what should congress be doing to improve security at our nation's ports? he responded by saying, my judgment would be that we have not focused enough on ports. this lack of focus on our ports not only jeopardizes our national security but our economic security as well. the u.s. ports remain one of our country's greatest economic resources as they provide our nation with the link to the rest of the world and the global economy. each day u.s. ports move both imports and exports, totaling some $3.8 billion worth of goods thue all 50 states. additionally, ports move 99% of overseas cargo volume by weight and generates $3.95 trillion in international trade. however, port security does much more than protect american commerce. it also protects american jobs. according to the american association of port authority, the u.s. port industry supports

13.3 million jobs and accounts for more than $649 billion in personal income. that's why i was pleased to co-found the bipartisan congressional ports caucus with my good friend and fellow alumni, ted poe, in order to ensure that congress recognizes the vital role ports play in our national economy and the importance of keeping them competitive and secure. despite all this, ports have failed to garner the attention i think they deserve. for instance, the u.s. -- in the u.s., tens of thousands of ships each year make over 50,000 calls on u.s. ports. the volume of traffic gives terrorists opportunities to smuggle themselves or their weapons into the united states with little risk of detection. according to a recent c.r.s. report, a 10 kiloton to 20

kiloton weapon could kill up to one million people and have direct property damage up to $50 billion. loss of trade of up to $100 billion to $200 billion and indirect costs to -- up to $1.2 trillion. congress' attempt to pass the safe ports act and the 9/11 commission act of 2007 which specifically required that 100% of the cargo coming into our ports be scanned by this summer. unfortunately, d.h.s. has made little progress in achieving this goal and does not plan to implement it. in fact, we've recently learned that d.h.s. has only been scanning about 3% to 5% of all the cargo imported into our united states. now, while the feasibility of scanning 100% of incoming cargo may be a legitimate concern, there certainly needs to be improvement from where we are now. and whether it's increasing the number of customs and border

protection officers or investing in proven cargo scanning technology, there needs to be a plan for effectively and efficiently scanning our nation's cargo. another major vulnerability is the threats posed to vessels during their voyage at sea. for example, cargo is often checked either before it's shipped or after it reaches our shore. however, there has not been much light shed on the specific threats that exist between a vessel's point of origin and its point of destination. we also need to know more information about how fast a port could recover in the event of a terrorist attack or a national disaster if that did occur at one of our ports. and without resolving these issues, we risk putting our economy and the safety of the american people at risk. as a member whose district borders one of the largest port complexes in the country, i understand the unique security challenges ports pose to our

economic and national security. my district borders the port complex of los angeles-long beach, which is responsible for approximately 44% of all the fwoods flowing to this country and 20% of the nation's g.d.p. during a 10-day lockout in 2002, which arose because of a dispute between labor and management officials, closure of the west coast ports cost the united states between $1 billion to $2 billion a day. if an attack were to occur there, it would be economically debilitating, not only for my district but the entire country as well. while d.h.s. has made a number of positive steps in strengthening port security and resiliency, the lack of attention on these vital issues creates a huge problem for these ports. we cannot begin to come up with an effective solution without first knowing the extent of the actual problem. the economic importance of our nation's ports, combined with

existing port security loopholes is why i introduced the gaps act. this bill will require the secretary of the department of homeland security to conduct a classified study of the potential gaps in port security and ensure that the department develops a comprehensive plan for addressing these vulnerabilities. by focusing on the specific dangers that threaten our port security, we can begin, i believe, to develop effective sloughs to ensure that our nation is prepared. again, i want to thank chairman king, ranking member thompson for their leadership on this issue, my congressional port caucus co-founder, ted poe, for recognizing the importance of our ports. i would like to point out that this bill went through regular order and is supported by both democrats and republican os on an issue i know we all care about. i urge my colleagues to support this important bipartisan legislation and i yield back the balance of my time.

the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman yields back. the gentleman from mississippi. mr. tompspn: i have no more speakers. if the gentleman from new york has no more speakers, i'm prepared to close. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from new york is recognized. mr. king: this bipartisan bill is a good bill. i urge my colleagues to support it. it deals very -- builds very strongly on the initial port security in 2006 sponsored by mr. lungren and jane harman who was in congress at that time. it was a very good bill. this adds to it and improves on it. i urge its adoption. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from mississippi. mr. thompson: thank you, plips. our -- mississippi. our nation's ports are as diverse as the people they

serve. the importance of this infrastructure to the global supply chain cannot be overstate. enactment of h.r. 4005 will help ensure that our limited security resources can be targeted to those threats that put our ports at greatest risk. with that, mr. speaker, i urge the passage of h.r. 40 05 -- 4005 and yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. the question is, will the house suspend the rules and pass h.r. 4005 as amended? those in favor say aye. those opposed, no. in the opinion of the chair, 2/3 being in the affirmative, the rules are suspended, the bill is passed and without objection, the -- the gentleman from new york. mr. king: i object to the votes on the grounds that a quorum is not present and make a point of order that a quorum is not present. the speaker pro tempore: pursuant to clause 8 of rule 20, and the chair's prior announcement, further proceedings on the motion will

be postponed. for what purpose does the gentleman from new york seek recognition? mr. king: i move the house suspend the rules and pass h.r. 1447 as amended. the speaker pro tempore: the clerk will report the title. the clerk: h.r. 1447 a bill to amend title 49, united states code, to direct the secretary of homeland security to establish an aviation security advisory committee and for other purposes. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from new york, mr. king, and the gentleman from mississippi, mr. thompson, will each control 20 minutes. the chair recognizes the gentleman from new york. mr. king: i ask unanimous consent that all members have five legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and include any extraneous material on the bill under consideration. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, so order. mr. king: i yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. king: i rise in support of

h.r. 1447, the aviation security stake holder participation act of 2011. i commend ranking member thompson for his dedicated work in this area. the f.a.a. established the security advidsery committee in 1989, following the bombing of pan am flight 103. when t.s.a. was created the sponsorship of that transfered to t.s.a. and continued to provide a meck anymore for industry and other outside stake holders to inform the federal government's decision making on aviation security matters. despite its important contributions to security, it allows the charter to expire. last year, t.s.a. revived the sambings ac with the support of industry. 24 new members were apointed. h r. 1447 simply codified the asac which exists today and ensures it remains intact,

providing necessary stake holder guidance to t.s.a. it establishes important working groups focused on air cargo and airport permanent security, all of which have unique challenges that require a collaborative effort to solve. in these difficult economic times it is essential for t.s.a. to get the input of stake holders and onsecurity procedures and technology to ensure it is spending its limited resources on initiatives that will enhance security for the traveling public without compromising the freedom of people and goods to move freely. i urge me adoption of this bipartisan bill and i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman we serves. the gentleman from mississippi is recognized. mr. thompson: thank you, mr. speaker. mr. speaker, i rise in strong support of h.r. 1447, the aviation security stake holder participation act and yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. thompson: thank you, mr. speaker. mr. speaker, effective

coordination between stake holders and regulators is critical to the implementation of policies that work. to that end, we have the responsibility to ensure that polities -- policies informed by the realities on the ground. arguably, nowhere is the need for policy coordination more important than at our nation's airports. given that the aviation sector remains an attractive target for terrorists, the difference between a security policy that works and one that does not can be all that stands between life and death. that's why i introduced h r. 1447, the security stake holders act this will ensure that the voices of those subject to policies and protocols put in place by t.s.a. are heard and their recommendations are considered. it does so by directing the t.s.a. to establish an aviation security advisory committee.

for year, such an advisory committee existed and worked effectively with t.s.a. on matters such as aviation security methods, equipment, and procedures. for instance, in 2003, the cargo working group, which included the cargo airline association, made recommendations that formed the basis of t.s.a.'s program for 100% screening of air cargo. unfortunately, during the last administration, the charter for this advisoryry committee was allowed to lapse and the committee ceased operation. while i'm pleased that in response to my bill, the obama administration re-established this committee on its own authority, i strongly believe that it is critical that the aviation security advise recommittee be codified in law to ensure that t.s.a.'s aviation security policy continues to be informed by the private sector.

that is why my bill would for the first time establish the aviation security advise -- advisory committee in statute and require that members of up to 27 member organizations participate. i br deuced h.r. 4447 in 2011 with the rnking -- ranking member of the transportation security subcommittee or the committee on homeland security, representative jackson lee. it was favorably reported on a bipartisan basis in november, 2011. t.s.a. has a responsibility to secure the american public from threats posed to our transportation sector. however, it cannot do so in a vacuum. t.s.a. must leverage technical and operational expertise from our nation's airports to deliver a collaborative and robust security system across our aviation sector. strong partnerships with i have auation stake holders are

critical to informing aviation security policy. just last month, the committee received testimony from the airport minority advisory council about arbitrary rules set forth on airport worker badges to newsstands, coffee and souvenir shops. since then after the re-evaluated the policy and work with the private sector to address the concerns raised. this is just one example -- example of how a t.s.a. policy developed without input from the advisory committee was not informed by economic realities. now t.s.a. is in the position of having to revisit this and other hill-informed policies to ensure that they enhance security in a manner that does not unduly burden the private sector my bill also directs

administrator of t.s.a. to establish three targeted working groups to address the unique homeland security challenges related to air cargo security, general aviation security and african-american ter security. mr. speaker, all of us have a stake in ensuring the security of our nation. let us pass this bill so that stake holders who are expected to comply with the policies and procedures developed by t.s.a. have a seat at the table. that way, we can be confident that t.s.a.'s policies are both effective from a security standpoint and address the economic and commercial realities of our nation's airports. before reserving this -- reserving the balance of my time, mr. speaker, i would like to engage in a brief colloquy with the gentleman from new york, the chairman of the committee, on -- chairman of the committee on homeland security, mr. king. mr. speaker, as this bill has made its way to the house

floor, the chairman and i have been engaged in ongoing dialogue over how to strike the right broons -- balance on who should be represented on the aviation security advisory committee. i'm dedicated to ensuring that the voices of passengers and small and minority-owned businesses impacted by t.s.a.'s policies, peed yours and regulations are heard. it is important that persons representing those groups have a seat at the table when t.s.a. makes decisions that affect both passengers' rights and business' bottom line. with that, mr. speaker, i would yield to the gentleman from new york for his assurance that this bill continues its movement through the legislative process, he will work with me these important populations are included in this aviation security advisory committee legislation. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from new york. mr. king: i thank the ranking

member for yielding and i agree to work with him moving forward to ensure that this issue is addressed in this manner to ensure his participation. mr. thompson: thank you very musm i thank the gentleman from new york for his commitment and reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves the balance of his time. the gentleman from new york is recognized. mr. king: i have no further speakers. if the gentleman from mississippi has no further speakers, i am prepared to close once the gentleman does. mr. thompson: i have no more speakers, if the gentleman has no more, i am also prepared to close. mr. king: once again, we are in gele msisspi regned mr. thps: yes. speaker, i would like to express my gratitude to all the members of the committee on homeland security for their unanimous support of this legislation when it was considered by the committee last september. while the committee on homeland security has not been as active security has not been as active on the