wove noon the entire bill. the entire -- woven into the entire bill. the entire amendment was 1,200 pages long. so if you're voting for this amendment, you're pretty much voting for the bill. and if you voted for the amendment last night, it's going to be pretty tough to vote against final passage later this week. so, the people who voted for voted oposal pretty much for the bill. so we have a pretty solid road map of how the yes votes are going to play out. host: and corker-hoeven, two of those names -- >> "washington journal" airs every morning live at 7:00 a.m. eastern. the house is coming back in now to debate several infrastructure bills. any requests for recorded votes will be postponed until 6:30. objection under clause 6 of rule 20. record votes on postponed questions will be taken later. for what purpose does the gentleman from illinois seek recognition? >> i move to suspend the rules and pass the bill h.r. 2383.

the speaker pro tempore: the clerk will report the title of the bill. the clerk: h.r. 23 3, a bill to designate the new interstate route 70 bridge over the mississippi river connecting st. louis, missouri, and southwestern illinois, as the stan musial veterans memorial bridge. the speaker pro tempore: pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from illinois, mr. davis, and the gentlewoman, ms. bustos, each will control 20 minutes. mr. davis: i ask that all members have five legislate i days to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous materials on h.r. 2383. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. mr. davis: and i yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. davis: i rise to support h.r. 23 3 to name the new i-70 bridge that connects st. louis and southwestern illinois as the stan musial veterans

memorial brage. i introduce this legislation along with mr. enyart, lacy clay, dan lipinski, emanuel cleaver, vicki hartzler, adam kinzinger, blaine luetkemeyer and jason smith. today marks a bipartisan opportunity to honor all of american's heroes as well as a legend of america's national pastime. nearly .3 million of america's 23 million veterans live in illinois and missouri. naming this bridge that links these two states is another way to honor the brey men and brave women who have served our country. while it's co--- whether it's coming together to pass critical veterans' funding measures like we did earlier this month on this very floor or recognizing our veterans by naming this bridge this bod has shown it can come together in support of our veterans. this bill would also honor the legacy of stan musial.

mr. speaker, the st. louis cardinals are one of the most storied and successful first rate franchises in sports history and the best player to ever don a st. louis cardinal uniform was stan "the man" musial. born in pennsylvania in 1920, stan musial lived in an amazing, inspiring life. on the field, he was a 24-time all-star, three-time world series champion, three-time national league m.v.p. and first ballot hall of famer he finished his career as a .33 hitter and he was consistent, earning 1,815 hits at home and 1,815 hits on the road. during his 2-year major league clear spanning 3,026 games he was never ejected by an umpire. these lessons in consistency and sportsmanship not only serve as a good reminder to congress but they are attributes i try to impart on my sons and their teammates as

coach of their little league baseball team in taylorville, illinois. off the field, stan musial led by example. in 1945, in the prime of his rear, he took a year off from baseball to serve his country in world war ii. stan served in the navy and was based at pearl harbor as part of a ship repair unit. there was more to stan musial than being an outstanding athlete who served his country. he and his high school sweetheart lillian were marry more than 70 years and had four children he served as -- on president johnson's council on physical fitness an sports and in 2011 he was given this clint's highest civilian honor, the presidential medal of freedom. my first favorite player, hank aaron, hall of famer, sums it up best when he said, i didn't just like stan musial. i wanted to be like stan musial. as an individual, stan will be

remembered as kind, modest, generous, approachable, as an ambassador, he meant more to the game of baseball in st. louis than he was ever willing to take credit for. today, let's honor our veterans and stan "the man" musial. i urge all my colleagues to support h.r. 23 -- 23 3 and reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the chair recognizes the gentlewoman from illinois. ms. bustos: i yield myself such time as i may consume. the chair: the gentlewoman is recognized. ms. bustos: i rise today in support of h.r. 2383 to designate the new interstate 70 bridge over the mississippi river connecting illinois an st. louis as the stan musial veterans memorial bridge or the stan span as many affectionately call it. this bill names the bridge in honor of one of the greatest players in baseball history. as well as the millions of brave americans who have served this country in the armed forces.

naming the bridge after mr. musial and saluting the millions of american who was served in our armed forces is a fitting contribute to their bravery and sacrifice. few players have contributed more to america's pastime than stan musial. in his 22 seasons in major league baseball, playing for the st. louis cardinals, stan the man was selected to the all-star game a record 24 times. named the national league most valuable player three times, and played on three world series championship title teams. musial was elected to the baseball hall of fame in 1969 on the first ballot. moreover, his contributions go well beyond the baseball diamond. like many of his generation, mr. musial served our country during world war ii. during his tour of duty in the navy, musial joined with more than 16 million other americans to serve our nation as members of the u.s. armed forces during world war ii. in retirement, stan musial

contributed his time to causes such as the u.s.o., senior olympics, boy scouts an served as chairman of the president's council on physical fitness from 1964 to 1967. stan musial received the navy's memorial lone sailor award in 2007. it honors navy veterans who excel in their civilian careers while exemplifying the navy's core values of honor, courage, and commitment. in february, 2011, president obama presented stan musial with the presidential medal of honor, the highest honor bestowed on a civilian in america. my personal appreciation of stan musial goes way back to my childhood, growing up in springfield, illinois. our family would make regular car trips every summer to busch stadium to cheer on our beloved cardinals. when we weren't able to make it to games in person, we would

listen to them on kmox radio back home. i still remember the voices of jack buck and harry caray who would then go on to announce for the cubs. i also fondly remember waiting around busch staid wrum after the games with my brother, my sister, my mom and dad, just to catch a glimpse of some of the cardinal greats. we loved watching brock run the bases, we loved watching gibson pitch. an we just loved baseball so much that my dad later in his life would go on to work for major league baseball. and i'm i'm proud to say that my brother, dan callahan, would be the head coach of southern illinois university baseball for 16 seasons until he passed away a couple of years ago from cancer. as you see, my family's bond with greater st. louis and the cardinals baseball is a strong one. but this bill does not just recognize the contributions of one man, but rather it salutes the service of all our

veterans. stan musial was a hero to many, not just for the way he played baseball but for how he lived life. like so many of the heroes who have served this nation and our military, he lived his life with integrity and honor. naming this bridge in honor of stan musial and all veterans is a symbol of our fwrattude for the sacrifices they made to protect our freedoms. i urge my colleagues to join me in supporting h.r. 2383 to dedicate this bridge in honor of stan "the man" musial and all the men and women who have served our nation in the armed forces. we are prud to remember and honor all they endured for our democracy and to safeguard our safety. mr. speaker, i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman reserves. the chair recognizes the gentleman from illinois. mr. davis: i'd like to thank my colleague and good friend from illinois, ms. bustos, for her kind comments and for honoring

her father's service to major league baseball and her brother's service to the youth and students at southern illinois university during his time there as head baseball coach. thank you for that and now, mr. speaker, i wish to yield five minutes to the gentlewoman from missouri, ms. wagner. the speaker pro tempore: the chair recognizes the gentlewoman. ms. wagner: i thank the gentleman for yielding. i rise today in honor of veterans and one veteran in particular, one of st. louis' all-time heroes, stan musial. stan "the man" musial is best known as the greatest player in st. louis cardinal history. winner of three world series as a player and one more as general manager, a member of baseball's hall of fame. and as one of the greatest players to ever play our beloved national pastime. however, stan musial was also a great patriot. he temporarily left the st. louis cardinals during the

second world war to serve his country in the navy. stan and the cardinals had just won the 1944 world series when stan left to serve during the war. and after the war, he returned to his beloved st. louis cardinals to bring home yet another world series championship in 1946. his athleticism and greatness as a player are self-evident. his 3,630 hits are the fourth highest in baseball history. stan is also one of the only seven players to hit 400 home runs and have over 3,000 hits. a model of consistency stan musial could hit a baseball anywhere he was, home or away. finishing his career with 1rks815 hits at home and 1,815 hits on the road. a former teammate describes his tremendous talent like this --

he could have hit .300 with a fountain pen. those who had the privilege to see stan musial play baseball swear he was the greatest player they ever saw put on a st. louis cardinals uniform. yet stan "the man" stood for something more than his two decades of sustained excellence in baseball. he was an exemplary human being. to baseball fans around the country, stan musial represented perfection as a ballplayer and as a gentleman. but to those of us from st. louis, he represented so much more. he was our neighbor and he was our friend. there has never been a better representative of the cardinals or baseball or for that matter humanity than stan musial. carrying himself with dignity, he was always willing to sign and autograph an meet fans or do anything to help a friend in need. i recently asked constituents

to share their stan musial memories with me, and while many remember them watching -- many remember watching him play baseball it was his kindness and humility that set him apart. one constituent said he lived in the same neighborhood as stan musial as a child. stan would play baseball with him and other kids in the off-season. many remember stan going out of his way to sign autofwraffs for young fans or lend his good name to charitable and civic events. others remember his visits to st. louis hospitals and the joy he brought to patients and the staff. but all remember that he was a happy and joyful person. he made you feel better and made you want to be a better person just by being in his presence. after he retired from baseball, stan musial came to nearly every cardinals opening day because he felt it was his duty to be there for the city and the team that gave so much to him.

and each year at the induction to the baseball hall of fame, stan would play "take me out to the ballgame" on his harmonica. new inductees would mention him playing the harmonica as one of their favorite moments in the induction weekend. the best description of stan was rendered by former baseball sechrist, r ford here stands baseball's perfect warrior, here stands baseball's perfect knight. these words adorn the statue of stan musial that sits outside busch stadium in st. louis. mr. speaker, i am honored to be part of this bill that names the i-70 bridge after stan musial and our veterans. i urge my colleagues to support this bill as a lasting tribute to stan "the man" and all those who have served our country so honorably. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the

gentlewoman yields. the chair recognizes the gentlewoman from illinois. ms. bustos: i yield four minutes to the gentleman from illinois, mr. enyart. the speaker pro tempore: the chair recognizes the gentleman from illinois. mr. enyart: thank you, mr. speaker. thank you, ms. bustos. i rise in support of h.r. 2383, a compromise measure to name an extraordinary structure in honor of extraordinary heroes. today i'm proud to joan my colleagues in bridging a great -- to join my colleagues in bridging a great divide, not the aisle here in the house dividing democrats from republicans but a divide that's sometimes even wider, the mighty mississippi river between illinois and missouri. today in the spirit of compromise, we come together to honor people we hold dear and to recognize the values that make them special to us in both illinois and missouri. regardless of our politics or which side of the river we call home. .

for millions of baseball fans, stan musial was a hero. he had world series rings while playing for the st. louis cardinals but he's much more than one of the best baseball players to have ever played the game. no. to us in the region he pitomized what it meant to successfully achieving. he was always a gentleman. when at a time when it is glorified all that is showy and brash, stan was the opposite. quiet and humbled, he was the textbook of integrity in all that he did. stan the man was a hero for another reason. that's because he wore only two uniforms -- one for the baseball team he loved and one for the country he loved. i'm proud to support this bill today because it recognizes not

only stan musial but all of our nation's veterans. as a veteran of two of our nation's armed forces, this is a commitment that is very personal to me. i represent scott eyre force base, just 15 minutes from the new bridge. and i'm proud to represent a district that has one of the highest percentages of veterans in the united states. the people of southern illinois have answered each and every time our country has called. the service and the sacrifice of our veterans and their families can't be taken for granted nor can their service be remembered only one or two days a year. our nation remains a beacon of freedom and liberty because of that dedication and sacrifice. so today i'm proud to rise in support of this measure to designate the new interstate 70 bridge linking east st. louis, illinois, to st. louis, missouri, the stan musial veterans memorial bridge.

on my way to washington, d.c., today i passed this new bridge still under construction. the bridge cables were gleaming in the sunlight. i looked out and saw dozens of my constituents hard at work on this structure. it's much-needed infrastructure, investment for our region and our country, a partnership between our states and the federal government. it's my hope that every traveler who crosses over this striking structure will not only read the name of that bridge but will remember the values we honor with that name, hard work, integrity, humanity, service and -- humility, service and sacrifice. these are fitting ideals for all of us and they are a fitting reason to name this bridge in honor of stan musial and in honor of all our veterans. thank you and i yield back, mr. speaker. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields. the chair recognizes the gentleman from illinois. mr. davis: mr. speaker, i'd

like to thank my colleagues, mrs. wagner, for her comments and support for this bill. i'd like to thank my colleague, mr. enyart, for his support and also for his service to our country. thank you, sir. and at this time, mr. speaker, i wish to yield two minutes to the gentleman from missouri, mr. luetkemeyer. the speaker pro tempore: the chair recognizes the gentleman from missouri. mr. luetkemeyer: thank you, mr. speaker. i rise today to honor a truly great man, a great baseball player and decorated veteran, stan "the man" musial. growing up a cardinals fan, i recall seeing him from sportsman park as a boy as well as sneaking my transister radio into my room to hear the cardinals' games so my mom and dad didn't know i was up late. he was signed as a free agent at the age of 20 and led the cardinals to a world series victory the following season. in may of 1944 during the midst

of world war ii, musial put down his bat to serve his country for two years in the navy. a service which he later received the navy lone sailor award. after serving his country, musial played for 20 more seasons as a cardinal. after his 22 seasons, musial was ranked number one in singles, doubles and triples for a single team, all records he still holds until this day. he was selected to a record 24 all-stars and was -- all-star games and won three world series championships with the cardinals. one of musial's most famous feats was hitting five home runs in one day during a double-header. musial was a first ballot inductee in the baseball hall 1969. r in not only he was the greatest to ever play the game in st. louis, he was also a great philanthropist, an integral and

valuable member of the st. louis community. for his athletic achievements, he was awarded the presidential medal of freedom in may of 2011 by president obama. though he passed away in january of 2013, musial's remembered dearly in the hearts and minds of not only the cardinal fans but the entire baseball community. mr. speaker, i'm honored to rise in support of naming the i-70 bridge after stan the man, in honor of our -- all our veterans. i urge members of this house to stand with me in unwavering support in the stan musial veterans memorial bridge and with that i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman's time has expired. the chair recognizes the gentlewoman from illinois. ms. bustos: thank you, mr. speaker. i yield five minutes to the gentleman from missouri, mr. clay. the speaker pro tempore: the chair recognizes the gentleman from missouri. mr. clay: i thank you, mr. speaker and thank the gentlewoman for yielding. i rise today in support of this bipartisan legislation that i am pleased to co-sponsor with my colleague and friend, mr.

davis. to designate the new interstate 70 bridge over the mississippi river connecting the city of st. louis and southwestern illinois as the stan musial veterans memorial bridge. as a u.s. representative who has the honor of representing the st. louis cardinals, it is a special privilege for me to speak about stan musial from the perspective as a member of congress and also from the memory of a young boy at old sportsman farc with my dad, former congressman bill clay, as we watched watched stan play till the end of his remarkable career. stan musial was simply one of the greatest baseball players of all-time, and as was noted earlier, he was elected to baseball's hall of fame on the first ballot, and that much is

known to the world. but, mr. speaker, what is less known is that as a good player as he was on the field, stan musial was even a better man off of the field. in his own quiet way, stan musial was also on the vanguard of fighting discrimination and changing america. stan was born in a small town f denora , pennsylvania, the fifth of five children. denora is also the hometown of baseball's famous griffey family as a young man, stan was no stranger to the challenges of african-americans and the evils of segregation. years before the desegregation of baseball in 1947, stan, a gifted athlete, was playing basketball with buddy griffey,

the father of the great ken griffey sr. and the grandfather of the great ken griffey jr. when their high school team was supposed to have dinner in a segregated hotel, stan and the rest of the team walked out. in 1947, six years after stan was called up to the cardinals, jackie robinson broke the color barrier with the brooklyn dodgers. and many more great black and latino players would follow, but they faced racial taunts and threats on an almost daily basis, sometimes from the fans in the stands, sometimes from the opposing team and sadly sometimes from their own teammates. and when some white players on the st. louis cardinals threatened to boycott the game if they were forced to play with blacks, musial stood tall

for justice and stopped the boycott before it started. when stan died, stories from those difficult days were told with great reference and -- reverence and respect. willie mays recalled a story from an all-star game in the 1950's. before the game in one corner of the national league clubhouse said mays, hank aaron, ernie banks and frank robinson, playing cards all by themselves. the white ballplayers on the national league roster either ignored them or were openly hostile. so stan musial, who by then was one of the biggest stars in the game, simply walked over, sat down and said, deal me in. and that was his way of saying, fellows, you belong here. it's going to get better and i'm glad to have you on my

team. hen asked about his friend's passing, the great hank aaron, baseball's legitimate all-time home run king and someone who faced racism himself, said this of stan, and i quote, i not only like stan musial, i wanted to be like stan musial. two years ago i was privileged to accompany stan and his family to the white house as president obama awarded him the presidential medal of freedom, and the president said this about stan. quote, his brilliance could come in blinding bursts, hitting five home runs in a single double-header, leading the league in singles doubles, triples and r.b.i.'s over a single season. stan musial made that brilliance burn for two decades. even as he missed a season in his prime to serve his country

in the u.s. navy during world war ii, stan remains till this day an icon untarnished, a beloved pillar of the community, a gentleman you'd want your kids to emulate. mr. speaker, that is absolutely true and soon when millions of americans cross the fwufle new bridge that will bear his name mr. speaker, i ask for -- beautiful new bridge that will bear his name -- mr. speaker, i ask for one minute. ms. bustos: i yield one minute. mr. clay: when millions of americans cross that new bridge that will bear his name, i hope they'll remember that stan musial was more than just a proud veteran and a great ballplayer. his life and legacy truly symbolized the best of the greatest generation. thank my colleagues from

missouri and illinois for their support of this bill and i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. the chair recognizes the gentleman from illinois. mr. davis: thank you, mr. speaker. again, i'd like to thank my colleague, mr. luetkemeyer, and my colleague, mr. clay. thank you for your service. thank you for the stories about stan musial being the man when it came to a difficult time in major league history. i'd also like to thank you, thank your father, thank you for your father's service too. at this time, mr. speaker, i wish to yield three minutes to the gentleman from illinois, from colins -- collinsville, mr. shimkus. mr. shimkus: i ask unanimous consent to revise and extend. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is reminded to direct their remarks to the chair. the chair recognizes the gentleman from illinois. mr. shimkus: i think those comments were to mr. davis. mr. mr. speaker, i rise to pay tribute to one of baseball's

greatest and st. louis heroes of all-time, stan musial. stan the man was an unblemished icon both on and off the field. musial's historic numbers over his 22 seasons with the st. louis cardinals make him one of the greatest to ever play the game with 3,630 hits, 475 home runs, 1,951 r.b.i.'s and a lifetime .331 batting average, he was one of the most consistent hitters of his era. musial's performance on the eld earned him 24 all-star appearances, three national league m.v.p. awards, three batting titles and three world series championships for cardinals nation. stan the man was immortalized in the hearts of cardinals fans when his number six was retired and his statue was erected outside of busch stadium from a famous quote from baseball commissioner frick, i quote,

here stands baseball's perfect warrior, here stands baseball's perfect night. but stan musial was more than just an example of baseball excellence. he epitomized american values and faith rarely found in today's fame and record contracts. when fellow baseball great ty cobb compared musial to other greats and said he was better than joe dimaggio, musial humbly replied, cobb is baseball's greatest. i don't want to contradict him, but i can't say that i was ever as good as joe dimaggio. stan musial lived his faith through his life as a devout catholic, his charitable work and his devotion to his family. with nearly 72 years of marriage and four children. for his lifetime of work and service, stan musial earned the presidential medal of freedom aptly as lacey so identified. it is fitting that we name the

i-70 bridge as stan musial veterans memorial bridge to remember his service to our nation as well as that of countless other veterans in the st. louis area and cardinals nation. like so many other young men and women of his generation, stan musial put aside his career when he was drafted into the united states navy during world war ii. with the passage of stan musial, we lost a deacon, but this is a fitting tribute to a player who will always be remembered in the hearts of cardinals fans as "the man." the speaker pro tempore: the chair recognizes the gentlewoman from illinois. ms. bustos: i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the chair recognizes the gentleman from illinois. mr. davis: i'd like to thank congresswoman bustos for managing this bill with me today, it's been an hor nor. -- an honor. i'd also loik to thank

congressman shimkus, congressman clay, congressman enyart, and congressman clay for coming to the floor in support of h.r. 2383. i'd also be remiss not to thank former congressmannierry costello for his vision to turn this bridge from an idea into a reality and i'd like to honor him today too for his service to our country as a member of congress. i urge my colleagues to support this legislation so that we can honor our veterans and stan if the the man" musial. i yield back my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. the question is, will the house suspend the rules and pass the bill h r. 2383? those in favor say aye. those opposed, no. in the opinion of the chair, 2/3 being in the affirmative -- mr. davis: mr. speaker, i demand the yeas and nays. the speaker pro tempore: the yeas and nays are requested. those in favor of taking this vote by the yeas and nays will rise and remain standing until counted.

a sufficient number having risen, the yeas an nays are ordered. pursuant to clause 8 of rule 20, further proceedings on this motion will be postponed. for what purpose does the gentleman from illinois seek recognition? mr. dais: i move to suspend the rules and pass the bill h.r. 1092. the speaker pro tempore: the clerk will report the title of the bill. the clerk: house calendar number 30, h.r. 1092, a bill to designate the air route traffic control center located in nashua, new hampshire, as the patricia clark boston air route traffic control center. the speaker pro tempore: pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from illinois, mr. davis, and the gentlewoman from illinois, ms. bustos, each will control 20 minutes. the chair recognizes the gentleman from illinois. mr. davis: i ask unanimous consent that all members have

five legislative days to revise and extend they're remarks and include extraneous materials on h.r. 109 2. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. mr. davis: i yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. davis: this bill honors the work of mrs. patricia clark for her years of service. she began working at boston center when it first opened and has worked there ever since. she has never taken annual or sick leave. according to her colleagues, mrs. clark's dedication to her job is as impressive as her length of service to the f.a.a. to recognize her dedication, mrs. clark's colleagues desaied it was appropriate to celebrate boston center's 50th anniversary by renaming it in her honor. the dedication and hard work of federal employees like mrs. clark should not be overlooked. i voice my support and encourage my colleagues to support this bill which recognizes the work of an

exemplary federal employee. i want to clarify that while honoring mrs. clark this bill does not require any funding for thery naming of the boston air route traffic control center. with that, i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves. the chair recognizes the gentlewoman from illinois. ms. bustos: i yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the yom is recognized. ms. bustos: i rise in strong support of h.r. 1092 to degree is nate the air route traffic control center located in nashua, new hampshire, as the patricia clark boston air route traffic control center. the committee on infrastructure unanimously reported this bill by voice vote just last month. ms. clarke has worked in the nashua center since it opened on march 31, 196 , and she provided more than 50 years of government service. ms. clarke does administrative work at the center including payroll, mail processing and travel arrangements and has not

taken a single sick day in her long career. ms. clarke's managers and colleagues at the federal aviation administration initiated the idea of naming the facility to honor her for her valued service. mr. speaker, this is an important bill, introduced by the gentlewoman from new hampshire, ms. custer, and other members of the new hampshire delegation. this bill is a companion bill to s. 540 which passed the senate by unanimous consent earlier this year. i urge my colleagues to join me in supporting h.r. 1092. mr. speaker, i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman reserves. the chair recognizes the gentleman from illinois. mr. davis: i'd like to recognize and thank my colleague, ms. custer, from new hampshire , for introducing this piece of legislation. i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the chair recognizes the gentlewoman from illinois. ms. bustos: yes, mr. speaker, i yield four minutes to the

gentlewoman from new hampshire, s. custer. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman is recognized for four minutes. ms. kuster: i rise in support of h.r. 1092, a bill i introduced with congresswoman shea-porter to rename the air traffic control cent for the nashua, new hampshire, after patricia clark, an exemplary federal employee. i want to thank senator shaheen nd senator -- and others for working on it in the other body and i want to thank chairman rahall for passing this through the committee and bringing it to the floor today. the boston air route traffic control center was built 50 years ago as part of a network of 0 centers that guide commercial air traffic in our nation. the center is staffed by a dedicated team which ensures the safety of our skies and the

aircraft that travel through them. while much has changed in the 50 years since the center was opened, one thing has remained constant. patty clark. patty started work at the boston center the tai after it opened and since that time she has been the gold standard for federal employees. patty does administrative work including payroll, travel arrangements, and manning the phones, and as you've heard today over these past 50 years, she has never once taken a sick day. patty is beloved by her colleagues for her dedication and her positive attitude. to quote one of her colleague, she is simply the cream of the crop. so as the 50th anniversary of the boston center approached earlier this year, management and workers got together at the center and decided that the only way to appropriately mark this extraordinary milestone is to honor the woman who has been through it all. this is no cost, bipartisan legislation that will recognize

the dedication of an incredible woman who has served our nation for 50 years. i urge my colleagues to join me and the entire new hampshire congressional delegation in honoring patty clark by supporting h.r. 1092. i again again thank chairman shuster and ranking member rahall and yield back the balance of my time. thank you, mr. speaker. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman yields back. the chair recognizes the gentleman from illinois. mr. davis: i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the chair recognizes the gentlewoman from illinois. ms. bustos: i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman yields. the chair recognizes the gentleman from illinois. mr. davis: i would like to personally thank mrs. clark for her dedicated years of service, this is truly an honor benefiting a federal employee of her high caliber. i urge my colleagues to join me in supporting this important piece of legislation and i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the question is, will the house suspend the rules and pass the

bill h.r. 1092? those in favor say aye. those opposed, no. in the opinion of the chair, 2/3 -- mr. davis: i demand the yeas and nays. the speaker pro tempore: the yeas and nays are requested. those in favor of taking the vote by the yeas and nays will rise and remain standing until counted. a sufficient number having risen, the yeas and nays are ordered. pursuant to clause 8 of rule 20, further proceedings on this otion will be postponed.

the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from texas seek recognition? mr. johnson: i move to suspend the rules and pass the bill h.r. 2289 to rename section 219-c of the internal revenue code of 1986 as the kay bailey hutchison spousal i.r.a. . the speaker pro tempore: the clerk will report the title of the bill.

the clerk: h.r. 22 9, a bill to rename section 219-crrks c of the interble revenue code of 1986 as the kay bailey hutchison spousal i.r.a. the speaker pro tempore: pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from texas, mr. johnson, and the gentleman from texas, mr. doggett, each will troll 20 minutes. the chair recognizes the gentleman from texas. mr. johnson: i ask unanimous consent a thall members have five legislate i days to revise and extend their remarks and to include ex-trainus material on the subject of the bill under consideration. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. mr. johnson: i yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. johnson: we are considering legislation to rename the spousal i.r.a. the kay bailey hutchison spousal i.r.a. i want to thank my colleagues from both sides of the aisle for co-sponsoring these bills. mr. speaker, a fellow texan and extraordinary woman and the first texas female united states senator, kay bailey hutchison established during

her time in the senate a long and distinguished record of service to the great people of texas and to americans across our nation. a fitting example of the senator's service is her successful effort to help families save for retirement. back in 1993, senator hutchison first led the effort to change an unfair tax rule that limited the ability of homemakers to fully contribute to their own personal retirement accounts, known as i.r.a.'s. at that time, homemakers would only put aside $250 in an i.r.a. as opposed to $2,000, the maximum aloud for the working spouse. in response, senator hutchison introduced legislation allowing homemakers to fully contribute to their own accounts. in 1996, congress passed legislation that included the senator's proposal to do just

that. as a result, homemakers are no longer penalized for undertaking the important work of raising a family when it comes to saving for retirement. as the senator said, back in 1996, and i quote, there is no question in my mind that the work done inside the home is as much a part of the american family, if not more important to the american family, than the work done outside the home. unquote. i can't think of a better way to recognize the now former senator's efforts to make it easier for families to achieve retirement security than by renaming the spouse i.r.a. the kay bailey hutchison spousal i.r.a. mr. speaker, i urge colleagues to support this bill and i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves the balance of his time.

the chair recognizes the gentleman from texas, mr. doggett. mr. doggett: thank you, mr. speaker. i thank our colleague from dallas, texas, mr. johnson, for his leadership on this matter. this spring in another part of texas, in san antonio, with committed leadership of katie flato, we had our first-ever xas book festival, bexar county addition. an active presence to make this book festival a success was our united states senator and "new york times" best-selling author, kay bailey hutchison, who presented her new book "unflinching courage, pioneering women who shape texas." in this book she takes a look at other women who have made texas and this nation what it is today. she tells some incredible stories from jane long, who's often called the mother of texas and her delivery of her own baby on a beach to the tale of margaret houston, the wife of the hero of texas' sam

houston, who reportedly had an operation to remove a tumor, bit on a coin, survived and had six more children. well, senator hutchison was a pioneer in her own right. graduating, as my colleague said, from the university of texas school of law in 1967 when the number of women in the graduating class was in single digits. as the first republican woman to be elected to the texas , she of representatives served there and in the texas constitutional convention where i had an opportunity to get to know her as another member of that convention as well as her husband, ray hutchison, who served with distinction in the house of representatives. she is to date our only woman to have represented texas in the united states senate. we're grateful for her long service, her willingness to work with members of both parties. in san antonio we're particularly grateful as well for her service as it relates to the san antonio river and

the expansion of the riverwalk. when she first came to the senate in 1993, she began working on legislation to help women take charge of their own futures. and one part of that is the spousal i.r.a. the bill was the product of her own personal experience when she married ray, she learned that she could no longer contribute $2,000 to her retirement annually but was limited to $250. arly on she approached senator mikulski and together senator hutchison, working in a bipartisan manner with senator mikulski, got the legislation approved as part of the small business job protection act of 1996. the spousal i.r.a. that became law is an important tax benefit for stay-at-home spouses. it allows the stay-at-home spouse to make a full i.r.a. contribution to the stay-at-home spouse's only

i.r.a. even if a husband or wife has made a full contribution to the working spouse's i.r.a. at a time when too many people are not saving enough to provide a secure retirement, this measure helps many contribute to assure they have a full retirement. under the rules in place before, that would be a very nominal $250. under senator hutchison's legislation, the contribution can now go up to $5,500, a big contribution each year. so i think it's very appropriate that we honor senator hutchison with the naming that is proposed, and i yield back -- i reserve the balance of my time at this point. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves. the chair recognizes the gentleman from texas, mr. johnson. mr. johnson: thank you, mr. speaker. i yield four minutes to the gentleman from texas, mr. brady, a member of the ways and means committee and chairman of the subcommittee on health. the speaker pro tempore: the

gentleman from texas, mr. brady, is recognized. mr. brady: mr. speaker, mr. chairman, chairman johnson, thank you for your leadership on this issue and to mr. doggett, for your eloquent support. you know, when american families are fortunate to have children, they often face an important decision. can they afford to have one parent stay at home to care for the children or is it financially necessary that both parents continue to work outside the home? well, if they choose to have one parent, a mom or a dad, stay home it's often a great financial sacrifice. it affects not only their day-to-day living but their retirement security as well. i believe the government should support their decision by encouraging them to save for their retirement by using the spousal i.r.a. tax provision which became law in 1996. this provision brings the measure of quality to the code and allows parents to contribute to i.r.a. retirement accounts whether they work outside the home or not.

while the spousal i.r.a. provision was included in the contract with america, in contract with the american family, it only exists today because of our dear friend and former texas senator, kay bailey hutchison. years ago she recognized the unfairness of the tax code to those moms and dads who chose to stay home with their children. even if it meant missing out on the usual tax incentives enjoyed by those with outside jobs who are putting money away in a traditional i.r.a. as a nest egg. well, stay-at-home parents didn't have that i.r.a. option, so the senator went to work to balance the scales a little for those parents. i remember senator hutchison for years tirelessly crisscrossing the state of texas and lobbying her colleagues in the house and the senate for a spousal i.r.a. because it was the right thing to do for our families and families across the country. she never stopped raising awareness of this inequity and she never gave up.

i think all of us would agree that never giving up is the kay bailey hutchison hallmark. she also turned her incredible energy to getting it passed in congress. she was finally and justifiably successful in 1996 working across the aisle with leaders like dick army and the chairman of the -- dick armey and bill archer and also supported by president clinton. since that time millions of american children have benefited from their stay-at-home parents and their parents have benefited from senator hutchison's magnificent work to bring some retirement to these wonderful families. i urge my colleagues to vote in renaming the spousal i.r.a., the tax code, the kay bailey hutchison spousal i.r.a. it's an honor much deserved by the one person most responsible for its existans -- existence.

i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. the chair recognizes the gentleman from texas, mr. doggett. the gentleman reserves. the chair recognizes the gentleman from texas, mr. johnson. mr. johnson: thank you, mr. chairman. i yield two minutes to the gentleman from texas, mr. burgess, a member of the education -- sorry -- energy and commerce committee. the speaker pro tempore: the medicare recognizes mr. burgess for two minutes. mr. burgess: i thank the gentleman for yielding. it's a pleasure to join my friends from texas on the floor today to honor senator kay bailey hutchison and the work that she did with creating the spousal i.r.a. look, back in the 1990's i was just a regular guy practicing medicine back home in texas. what did i know about this stuff? well, not much. but what i did know for 15 years that i'd been in private practice my wife and i had shared our contribution to our i.r.a.'s every year. that meant each of us was able to deposit $1,100 every year into the i.r.a. account.

well, i got to tell you it's pretty frustrating to try to save for retirement when every year your contribution is limited to that rather austere amount. so it was a very big day, and i remember that day when we actually both were able to make the full contribution to our i.r.a. accounts and it was because of the hard work done by senator hutchison. she never forgot her constituents back in texas. she never forgot the women who, yes, women in the work force but also those women who were exercising their option to spend all of their energies raising their children and raising their families. it was a great day for texas, for texas constituents when that tax bill was passed and we're very grateful to senator hutchison for her leadership. it is appropriate that we honor her tonight with the naming of the spousal i.r.a. in her honor. i thank the gentleman for the recognition, and i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the

gentleman yields back the balance of his time. the chair recognizes the gentleman from texas, mr. doggett. mr. doggett: thank you, mr. speaker. to close briefly, last fall senator cornyn hosted a memorable bipartisan dinner honoring senator hutchison appropriately in the l.b.j. room in the capitol which all of us who are gathered here today and a number of our colleagues joined in honoring senator hutchison. at about the same time, senator mikulski introduced a resolution in the senate to accomplish the same objective as this resolution. i hope the senate will act promptly to approve the legislation. it has strong bipartisan support because this is an important measure to assure more retirement community provided by a retirement support provided. and i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. the chair recognizes the gentleman from texas, mr. johnson. mr. johnson: thank you. i want to thank my colleague, mr. doggett, for your words. mr. speaker, i urge my

colleagues to support this bill in honor of senator hutchison's commonsense effort to make it easier for families to save for retirement. 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 the bill h.r. 2289. 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 the motion to reconsider is laid on the table. pursuant to clause 12-a of rule 1, the chair declares the house in recess until approximately

maritime boundary in the gulf of mexico. after today's supreme court ruling of the voting rights act they struck down a part of the law that determines which states must get federal permission to chame their voting laws. we'll show you as much of this as we can before the house returns at 6:30 eastern. >> good afternoon. thank you for being here this afternoon on a day that will go down in the history of this country as one of the worst days for civil rights and civil discourse in this country's history. i am marcia fudge, the chair of the congressional black caucus. i was hopeful that today would bring better news, but the decision that came down today

is certainly one that has disappointed us all. i would like to begin by having our assistant democratic leader, jim clyburn, come and give us a few words. mr. clyburn? >> thank you very much, madam chair, colleagues. about 40 years ago -- about four years ago, i think the supreme court sort of gave us an indication that today's esult could be what it is. i don't remember the case, it was a north carolina case, the court seem to signal at that time that the kind of history that we use in 2008 when we re-authorized the voting rights act, they considered to be outdated. and that something needed to be

done to update the formula that we use. w we in the congress did a study, if my memory serves, it the ,000-page study, and vote in the senate was 98-0, and the vote in the house, i elieve was 390-33. and we decided that enough evidence was there in front of s to require a re-authorization of the voting rights act. that was just 2008. now, if we were to look, in my opinion, if we were to look at the reason that the supreme our gave in talking about failure to take into account

the progress that had been made, i believe the best way to take into account the progress that's being made in this country, on any subject, is to look at the actions as well as the debate, that sundays taken by those who are elected every two years, and in some instances, six, but the house is re-elected every two years. we stay very close to the people. and we then issued our opinion. but we saw, when this case was being discussed, justice scalia, seemingly wanting to inject himself and the court into this saying to the effect that the congress seemed not to be able to get it right.

i think this is a very sad day, but let me conclude by saying this. if we were to accept the supreme court's reasoning that we didn't take into account that progress has been made, i want all of us , when ber that in 1865 e had just after the emancipation proclamation has been in effect for two years, people were able to legislate all over the south. in south carolina, 2/3 of the general assembly was african-american. so in 1870 and 1880, the same decisions -- assessment could have been made. look at the progress we had made. you started s,

getting legislative actions and we started getting a united states supreme court decision plessy versus ferguson which tart us down the road and by 1900, there was no african-americans left. what i can say is at the beginning of the next legislative session, a lot of states, including my home state, will be taking a look and probably will be having some redistricting, not just in congressional seats, but also as legislative seats, because we to out in the texas case have special legislative sessions and special redistricting in the interim of the 10-year period. that was done in texas several years ago. and i can envision this supreme

court decision leading to that for next year as well. it's a sad day for civil rights. and i would hope that the congress would step in and in the bipartisan manner and which i might add, the house, there are more republicans and democrats that voted for the re-authorization in 2008. i would hope that kind of bipartisan to take place at this time. and with that, i'm pleased to yield to the chair of the congressional asian pacific americans caucus, ms. judy chu. >> as chair of the congressional asian pacific american caucus, i join my colleagues in condemning today's supreme court decision as a setback for all americans. it is with a heavy heart we see this erosion of the voting rights act that ensured the

promise of democracy for each and every citizen. the 14th amendment provided equal protection for all of us under the law. the 15th amendment made the right to vote color blind. both were undercannot by pole taxes, literacy tests and intimidation but the voting rights act put an end to that. it ensured a partial review of new voting laws for regions that have a history of discrimination at that ballot box. when the section was renewed in 2006, it passed by a bipartisan vote of 390-33 in the house and unanimous vote in the senate and was signed into law by george bush. despite this overwhelming bipartisan support, today the supreme court struck down one of the key components of the voting rights act on the ground that it's outdated. while the asian-american

community knows how the right to vote can be taken from a group that is not protected. when congress passed the chinese solution act it denied any chinese american to become a citizen and then a voter in the united states and stood in effect for 60 long years. we are now only at the present time overcoming the scars of disenfranchisement and we know all too well how precious the right to vote is. passing the voting rights act was the right thing to do in 1965. renewing it was the right thing to do in 2006. and updating the formula to ensure those protections remain intact for the american people is the right thing to do now. i urge every member of congress, regardless of party, to join us in ensuring that the voting rights act remains the pillar of our democracy as it has been

been since its inception. >> it is truly mind boggling to me today we have the highest court in the land that can't really make the kind of decision that this country deserves. they want to have their cake and eat it, too. they recognize that discrimination and racism still exists, yet they would strike down the very -- parts of the very law that have changed that they said made this country better. it is disconcerting at best to know that just in 2012, there were 22 laws and two executive actions restricting voting rights in 17 states across this country. even worse, there were 176 restrictive bills that were filed in 41 states and they say that things need to be changed. yes, they need to be changed. not only should they not have struck down section 4, they should have expanded it. i would ask my colleague from

texas please join us. >> i'm the congressman from the 23rd district in southwest texas, member of the congressional hispanic caucus and vice chair of the task force on civil rights. today is a sad day for the democratic process. the disenfranchisement of voters based on race and ethnicity still happens. in the 23rd district of texas which i represent, a federal -- they d that the deliberately minimized the voting strength. emails from map makers revealed the strategy was to make the 23rd a latino opportunity district in name only. latinos were taken out of the district and they were replaced with latinos with a very low

history of voter turnout. in essence, gaming the system. that's what the safeguard was to latino voters. today, we see the communities of color, communities of interest have always had a referee. they have had someone who will call a foul ball a foul ball and today that opportunity to go to that referee or umpire has been stricken by the could you tell court. 15 million latinos across the country are safeguarded by the preclearance provisions. it protects latino voters in arizona, georgia, texas, and more. 32%, nearly a third of latinos in the united states live in jurisdictions that are covered by preclearance. in 2012, the preclearance provisions from acting on on map nd blocked a very strict voter

i.d. law that would have disenfranchised texas voters, latinos, african-americans and asians. the voting rights act, it's not about political party. it's not about politicians and not about candidates. it's about the opportunity to give voters the chance to elect the candidate of their choice. someone who will allow their voices to be heard in a district where their vote will count. today, the supreme court has turned its back on those voters who are disenfranchised and gotten ridden of that umpire, that referee, whether it was a democratic or republican who through the years has served as that umpire, that referee. that decision is essentially taken away, that safeguard in states with histories of

discrimination. i urge my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to develop a system that takes the voting rights of americans into account and protects them and safeguards them as one of the most basic and fundamental rights of any american. thank you so much for being here. >> for those of who may not be aware, since 1982, 2,400 discriminatory voting changes have been blocked as a result of section 5 objections and today with this decision, the supreme court chose not to acknowledge any of that information, nor the success or the effect section 4 and 5 has had on our democracy. we have been joined by our whip, mr. hoyer. >> thank you very much, congresswoman fudge, the chairman of the congressional black caucus. i'm joining members of the asian-pacific caucus, members of

the hispanic caucus. but this is about all americans, not just particular americans, particular americans are protected, but in a real sense, it's about all of us and the kind of country we are and want to be. today's ruling is a disappointing blow to voting rights in america and will have a real impact on voters. in 2006, this congress in which i served, re-authorized the voting rights act in a bipartisan fashion and under a republican president. significantly bipartisan support, overwhelming. it was a broad consensus then, as i believe there still is today that sections 4 and 5 of the voting rights act were both responsible and necessary. answers to the lingering problems of discrimination at

the ballot box. if anybody thinks there are not continuing efforts to make voting more difficult for some people, they haven't been reading the papers, listening to the radio, watching television, listening to what's going on in america. and in america, no state or local authority should be able to make it easier for some people to vote and harder for others. in america, nobody should have to march for their most fundamental right, the right to vote. john lewis, an extraordinary merican, beaten, bloodied, almost died, marching for voting rights, march 7, 1965. here we are some 60 years later

and years later, almost, the supreme court says the problem no longer exists, the formula needs to be reworked. we marched across the he had monday pettis bridge to memorialize how much work it took to vet the voting rights act passed. the first time john marched, he nearly lost his life, as i said. americans responded, but that's not what they thought america was all about. the ballot is the instrument by which our republic is sustained and congress has a duty to protect ballot access and expand opportunities for all americans to vote and have their votes counted accurately. today's ruling is a setback.

but congress still has a mandate and a responsibility under the 15th amendment to the constitution to secure and protect the franchise for all americans. let me quote that provision of our constitution. the right of citizens of the united states to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the united states or by any state on account of race, color or previous condition of ser via tude. congress shall have power to enforce this article by appropriate legislation. very frankly, in 1965 and subsequent re-authorizations, this congress took that responsibility very seriously. and as i said, with jim sensenbrenner as chairman of the judiciary committee and in the

lead, overwhelmingly passed the 2006 re-authorization after thousands of pages of testimony and findings. the supreme court in a 5-4 decision has essentially set aside. 113th congress must make addressing today's unfortunate decision a top priority. and that's why democrats and republicans, as we did in 2006, ought to come together to begin a process that ensures political jurisdiction with a history of discrimination cannot impose new barriers to ballot access. i came in when pete was talking and he talked about the significance of a lot of the people that he represents. and i suggested at the beginning, all of the people that he represents.

so i'm looking forward to joining with those on this platform and those in congress on both sides of the i'll to make sure that america is what we say it is, a land for all without opportunity for all and protection for all to cast their ballot. and now it's my privilege to yield to my friend, the assist ant leader -- he has already spoken. i will yield to ms. fudge, who knows what's going on. [laughter] >> we will be joined by the co-chairs of the civil rights caucus of the congressional black caucus. representative john conyers and representative john lewis. >> when i first came to congress, i went immediately to the speaker of the house, john mccormick and asked to go on the judiciary committee. and the reason as he and i both

knew was the civil rights act that was so important. but today, citizens united has been eclipsed by the decision in he united states versus shelby and holder. the ase takes us back to civil rights act of 1866, which didn't give african-americans the right to vote. and then we went into 1869 when the 15th amendment did give african-americans the right to vote. and then with the 24th amendment, poll taxes were

outlawed in 1964. nd then in 1965, president lyndon johnson signed the voting rights act into law permanently barring barriers to political participation by racial and ethnic minorities, prohibiting any election practices that denied the right to vote and requiring jurisdictions with a history of discrimination in voting to get federal approval before the changes in election laws can take effect. and what the supreme court has done with the ruling that was ssued only hours ago is to obliterate of collection of jurisdictions that were under review. voting rights act

signed by lyndon baines johnson in 1965, then by president nixon, president ford, president reagan and president bush have all signed it. and this is what makes the ipartisanship of where we dust ourselves off and start all over again becomes so important. we can rise to this challenge. we don't have any alternative. and it is up to us to see that e remedy this in as meaningful and as fair a manner as possible. there were members on the supreme court that wanted to take out section 5 while we were

at it, and i can't remember who it was that restrained that coming in, too, but our job is big enough as it is. this is a day from which we will be planning, strategizing, working with both bodies of the legislature and, of course, everyone in every party to get this right. it's been done before. we faced challenges like these, but the voting rights act must be continued. i haven't heard anybody say yet .hat we don't need it obvious, the record is replete with those that have been

challenged or actions taken that have prevented it from happening. and so i join these members of which we are only a small number, but i think that we're up to the task. we've got to be up to the task. this may be the most important civil rights action that we take. >> thank you, madam chair. today, the supreme court stuck a dagger in the heart of the voting rights act of 1965. they are saying in effect that history cannot repeat itself, and walk in come my shoes. as justice ginsburg described history is relevant because voting rights have been given in

this country and they have been taken away. after the civil war, slaves were given the right to vote by constitutional amendment and were elected to congress and serve in this body. after few short years later, those rights were nullified in one of the most brutal periods of discrimination in human and civil rights violation followed those decisions. took exactly 100 years from 1865 to 1965 to get those rights back. the nation turned a blind eye to legalized segregation and racial discrimination for 100 years. it took organizing people who feared for their lives. it took standing on move the line. it took people struggling and

dying for the right to vote. just 49 years ago, three young 21, 1964i knew on june , andy goodman went out to investigate an african-american church that was burning, a church that was used for voter registration. they were detained by the sheriff, later taken to jail, taken out of jail, beaten, shot nd killed by the klan. we don't want to go back. we want to go forward. the only thing i did a few short

years ago, i gave a little blood on that bridge where other brothers and sisters of mine and other people struggling gave their very lives. the record congress produced demonstrated the clear need for voter rights protection in our country. even the court did not deny that discrimination still exists. the american people should use the 50th anniversary on the march on washington and other opportunities to say we still need voting rights protection in our country. they must compel each and every member of congresses to act in a ipartisan fashion to fix and repair what the supreme court broke. we must do it. we must do it. before another national election

takes place. it is our calling. it is our mission. it is our mandate. and we have an obligation to act. >> we are going to be joined by three more members, terri sewell from alabama, hank johnson from georgia. >> this is a sad day for our nation, but it's a sad day for my home state of alabama. as a native of selma, alabama, and as a member that currently represents the civil rights district of alabama, i can tell you that i know the injustices suffered on that bridge on bloody sunday in 1965, has not been fully vindicated. i think it is ironic that the very state that caused us to get

us the voting rights act is now being used by our supreme court to dismantle that very law. but i think that as long as there are facts like the facts in the shelby county case, which so clearly demonstrate that there is so much work to be done, the fact of the matter is that without preclearance, the city of colera, county of shelby, redrew the line such that an african-american city council member would lose and the discriminatory effect is he lost, he lost that election. this wasn't in 1965, this wasn't in 1970 or 1980. this was in my lifetime. this was but a few years ago. i think it's unacceptable.

and as long as there are voters whose rights need to be protected, there is a need for the voting rights act. now we in congress have an opportunity, an opportunity to develop another coverage formula. but i can tell you whatever coverage formula that is developed, i can't imagine that my state, alabama, would not continue to fall under it. it's disheartening for me because i know that so much progress has taken place, but the unfortunate reality is, there is still so much work to be done. i look forward to joining with my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to get that work done so that the effects of section 5 will continue to be available. i would have never thought that i, a beneficiary of the civil rights movement, would be on

stage today with john lewis, steny hoyer, jim clyburn and so many of my colleagues fighting still for the protection of a fundamental right to vote. the right to vote is sacred and we who are in congress, republicans and democrats, should be fighting for that right. not looking to restrict it. and the very fact that in this past election, we had 38 states, including alabama that had voter i.d. laws looking to restrict people's rights to vote. we have to stand up. we have to stand up. and i look forward to joining my colleagues and standing up for the voting rights act of 1965 and for the protections of minority rights.

>> good afternoon everyone. today, the act of the supreme court sinically legislating from the bench jim crow style engaged in historic overreach, ignoring their own precedence and regarding clear and convincing evidence of ongoing discrimination at the polls. i call for strong, swift action by the congress, it is now front and center. i will work with all of my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to ensure that all voters have their precious right to vote protected from state and local infringe meant. in 2006 during the last renewal of the landmark voting rights act, congress conducted more than 21 hearings with nearly 100

witnesses and amassed 15,000 page record documenting ongoing discrimination against minority voters. this is occurring, ladies and gentlemen, not only in states with the history of discrimination. e 2012 elections saw voter suppression -- [captions copyright national cable satellite corp. 2013] [captioning performed by national captioning institute] >> the house is coming back in now for votes on bills debated earlier. vote on the motion of the gentleman from illinois, mr. davis, to suspend the rules and pass h.r. 383 on which the yeas and nays are ordered.

the clerk will report the title of the bill. the clerk: h.r. 2383, a bill to designate the new interstate route 70 bridge over the mississippi river connecting st. louis, missouri, and outhwestern illinois, as the veterans memorial bridge. the speaker pro tempore: the question is will the house suspend the rules and pass the bill. members will record their votes y electronic device. this is a 15-minute vote. [captioning made possible by the national captioning institute, inc., in cooperation with the united states house of representatives. any use of the closed-captioned coverage of the house proceedings for political or commercial purposes is expressly prohibited by the u.s. house of representatives.]

the speaker pro tempore: on this vote, the yeas are 395, the nays are 2, 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. the unfinished business is the vote on the motion of the the gentleman from illinois, mr. davis, to suspend the rules and pass h.r. 1092 on which the yeas and nays are ordered the clerk will report the title of the bill. the clerk: h.r. 1092, a bill to designate the air route traffic control center located in nashua, new hampshire as the patricia clark boston air route traffic control center. the speaker pro tempore: the question is will the house suspend the rules and pass the bill. members will record their votes by electronic device. this is a

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

the speaker pro tempore: on this vote the yeas are 391, the nays are three. nd one is present.

the speaker pro tempore: on this vote the yeas are 392, the nays are three and one is present. 2/3 of those voting having responded in the affirmative, the rules are suspended, the bill is passed and without objection the motion to reconsider is laid upon the table.

the house will be in order. for what purpose does the gentleman from wisconsin seek o be recognized? >> i ask unanimous consent that my name be removed as a co-sponsor of h.r. 1213. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. the chair will now entertain

requests for one-minute speeches. for what purpose does the gentleman from pennsylvania seek recognition? >> i ask unanimous consent to address the house for one minute, revise and extend my remarks. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. mr. poe: mr. speaker, the house is not in order. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is correct. he house will be in order. i ask all members to take their conversations off the floor. he house will be in order. would all members please take their conversations off the house floor. he house will be in order. the gentleman from pennsylvania is now recognized. >> mr. speaker, i rise today to

express my frustration and disappointment with president obama's war on coal. this war on coal is a war auto on the middle class. it's a war -- war on the middle class. it's a war on good-paying jobs and it's a war on american prosperity. you cannot pay for our critical social safety net programs unless you have a growing economy. you will not have a growing economy without low-cost american energy. mr. rothman: president obamas a -- mr. rothfus: president obama's plans will raise energy costs and impact moms and dads sitting around the kitchen table paying their monthly utility bills. it is time for president obama to stop forcing americans out of work and to stop giving a leg up to foreign competitors like china. it is time for president obama to take his hand off the dimmer switch for the american economy. it is time to end this war on low-cost american energy so that america can grow, prosper

and shine brightly once again. i thank the speaker and i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from indiana seek recognition? >> i ask unanimous consent to address the house for one minute, to revise and extend my remarks. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, the gentleman is recognized for one minute. mr. visclosky: mr. speaker, i rise to congratulate the 2013 stanley cup champion chicago blackhawks. last night sorrow quickly turned to joy when the hawks netted two goals in 17 seconds late in the game to avoid a game seven. he crowd erupted as we celebrated a second cup in four years. congratulations especially to captain jonathan toes, patrick mccain and cory crawford.

it was truly a team victory from all the plears on the ice, to coach q., to the g.m. and the owner. the entire organization deserves to be commended and i thank all of them for once again making us proud. i also want to congratulate the boston bruins for the great season and a hard-fought final befitting an original six matchup. mr. speaker, i ask my colleagues to join me in congratulating the chicago blackhawks and i look forward to seeing the cup back in chicago. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from texas seek recognition? mr. poe: ask unanimous consent to address the house for one minute. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, the gentleman is recognized for one minute. mr. poe: mr. speaker, today the president declared war on america's energy. administration issued an imperial-style edict ordering the e.p.a. in essence to shut down domestic energy. oil, natural gas and coal.

nevermind the consequences. by shutting down coal, for instance, he's shutting down 37% of america's energy. but he doesn't care that congress has rejected this policy in the past. he just wants it his way. well, he won't get it without a fight. i have introduced the ensuring affordable energy act. this bill will put an end to the backdoor monarch-style administration that ignores congress and circumvents the will of the people. the bill would prohibit any e.p.a. funds from being used to implement the regulation of greenhouse gases. the white house's new war on energy will only raise the cost for our families, cripple the economy and put americans out of work. this war is out of touch with the real war -- world. it's a war against america that americans can't afford to lose. and that's just the way it is. yield back. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from california seek recognition?

without objection, the gentleman is recognized for one minute. mr. swalwell: no american should live in fear of becoming a victim of a violent hate crime. in my role as the former lead hate crimes prosecutor, i saw firsthand the devastating impact that hate crimes can have on our communities. sadly, since taking office, i have heard from constituents and leaders, from the hindu, sikh, and arab-american communities about the ongoing threats that they face. that is why in march i sent a letter to the f.b.i. advisory policy board requesting that the f.b.i. add three additional hate crime categories. to track antihindu, antisikh and antiarab american hate crimes. gathering this information will encourage the affected community members to report hate crimes to law enformentse and will help strengthen relationships. i'm happy to report that the policy board followed up on my letter and has recommended that f.b.i. director robert mueller

make these additions. our progress toward addressing heinous hate crimes is possible because of groups like the hindu american foundation who have been tireless advocates for the safety of their communities. i urge director mueller to act swiftly on the policy board's recommendation. this important step would extends the protection to millions of americans. thank you and i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from minnesota seek recognition? without objection, the gentleman is recognized for one minute. mr. paulsen: mr. speaker, i rise in recognition of national posttraumatic disorder day. ptsd a serious mental condition affecting many of our nation's service military men and women past and present. up to 20% of those returning from iraq and afghanistan are at risk of dealing with ptsd. i'd like to especially recognize the minnesota national guard and their beyond the yellow ribbon program and their initiative in this area.

this comprehensive and very unique program has helped many of our returning service men and women with their transition to home life and it has inspired programs around the country to ensure our military members and families have the support they need after they leave active service. so let's continue to do what we need to support -- to do to sour our veterans in their time of need and ensure they have the best services and care available to them upon their return home, especially those that are suffering from dealing ith ptsd and i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from louisiana seek recognition? without objection, the gentleman is recognized for one inute. mr. fleming: mr. speaker, an enemy of religious freedom who has a hotline to the pentagon is at it again. mikey weinstein is still fighting to prevent our military personnel from expressing their religious

beliefs. last week in a rant, weinstein referred to christians as bigoted slime balls, homophobes, islamaphobes and carpetbaggers for christ whose twisted jihad poison and who committed spiritual rape in our faith-based racist. the first amendment protects weinstein's right to such words of hatred against christians. unfortunately he has high-level influence with the pentagon. bragging that he made a threatening phone call and within an hour the air force rushed to remove a piece of artwork from a dining hall that referred to a bible verse that said simply, blessed are the peace keepers. i now officially and publicly call upon d.o.d. to stop following weinstein's antifirst amendment orders and return him to the status of an ordinary citizen are we belongs. with that i yield back.

the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentlewoman from west virginia seek recognition? >> to address the house for one minute and revise and extend my remarks. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman is recognized for one minute. >> i rise to condemn the president's announcement he's going to forge ahead with the war on coal. one of the president's advisor 's said, a war on coal is just what we need. this is not what virginia or this nation needs. t only will it put good, hardworking west virginians out of a job but hurt the economy when it's still so weak. mrs. capito: congress recognized the effects this would have on the economy yet despite our application of commonsense, the president

decided unilaterally on this job-killing agenda. by dictating these regulation the president will shut down existing coal plants an the development of clean coal technology facilities. not only will it hamstring our tion's ability to be independent it will hurt our american workers particularly in west virginia. don't turn the lights out on our nation's economy, mr. president. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from pennsylvania seek recognition? >> mr. speaker, i request unanimous consent to address the house for one minute and revise and extend. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, the gentleman is recognized for one inute. mr. thompson: the obama administration's regulatory actions have been taking their toll on the economy for some time now. his new regulations abrothers even more costly and contentious than his proovesly

proposals which were reject by his colleagues in the senate. abaun needs a low cost daunt source of energy and cole is by far the cheapest, most abundant source. the obama administration continues to grossly underestimate the cumulative impact of the regulatory actions and this new plan to union latry -- to unilaterally impose regulations will further harm workers and american families who have to pay higher prices. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from virginia seek recognition? >> i ask unanimous consent to address the house for one minute and revise and extend my remarks. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, the gentleman is recognized for one minute. >> ladies and gentlemen of the house, i, too, am here to discuss the president's war on coal. the president would have you believe we must choose between

the environment and affordable, reliable energy but that is not the case there is a better way. and the president could even take some credit. based on research that is currently out there, there are technologies that the department of energy has invested in on clean coal which will make a huge difference and will allow us to use our abundant coal resources and protect the environment. mr. griffith: but instead of focusing on those possibilities and focusing on that, the president instead wants to regulate coal out of existence. the timelines that will be set up won't allow this new technology to take place in a time frame that will work for the american public and for our economy. so folks, there is a better way and i urge the president to stop the war on coal and seek the better path. with that, i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the chair lays before the house the following personal requests.

the clerk: leave of absence requested for mr. kauffman of -- mr. coffman of colorado for today, mr. engel of new york for today, mrs. mcmorris rodgers of washington for today and the balance of the week, mr. sanford of south carolina for today and mr. stewart of utah for today. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, the requests are granted. under the speaker's announced policy of january 3, 2013, the gentleman from california, mr. garamendi is recognized for 60 minutes as the designee of the minority leader. pllfware men dee: mr. speaker -- mr. garamendi: mr. speaker, thank you for this opportunity, joining me in this one hour

will be mr. takano from california. we just heard four or five or 10 minutes of talk about the energy issue. i'd like to put a slightly different face on it. it's not the subject, the main subject matter of this hour which is really about jobs and how education fits into that, but this is sort of along the line and it follows directly on what my republican colleagues are talking about. denying, denying that there is real climate change going on. we can no longer deny the fact that we are, as human beings, over this last century, putting into the atmosphere a vast amount of carbon die yocks side that is changing -- changing our environment. but i want to spend a moment -- what i want to spend just a moment on here is discussing how education fit into the subject of climate change. it's an area in which the institutes of higher learning and students pay an -- play an

enormously important role, developing a clean energy economy. today, a as we just heard from our republican colleagues, president clinton outline -- outlined a plan to address the threat of climate change and he recognizes what the scientists have said that during 2013, this year, we'll have another record year for climate problems. deadly flooding. superstorms. droughts. and impacts on sensitive species. just a sampling of the dire consequences that climate change is already bringing to america and the rest of the world. in my district, home to the university of california-davis, vitally important research is already being carried out. to rise to the challenge of climate change this research ranges from how changes in our climate are going to negatively

impact agriculture and native california fish, flora, and fauna, and what we can do about it. just this month, doctor daniel spurling of the university of california-davis institute of transportation studies was one of two recipients of the 2013 blue planet prize for his monumental work in clean transportation, hydrogen fuel infrastructure, and research on how we can achieve a 100% renewable energy economy for the globe and for america. the expansion of the clean energy section would also play a very, very important role in what we will fundamentally discuss here today which is creating jobs and spurring economic growth. recent research indicates that the revenue generated from clean energy globally within the next five years will create $1.9 trillion of revenue.

studies also show that states with larger green energy sectors are much more economically sound post-recession. we're on the right track. last year, california led the national record for the most jobs created in the green energy sector with over 26,000 new jobs being created. it's evident that we have the building blocks in place to make the changes that are needed for our future, especially in my home state of california. as dr. sperling said, solutions are all around us and indeed, they are. let me just go on into what -- how that fits into our common agenda here, an agenda we speak about every week. or nearly every week. we are talking about making it in america. and there are these seven things that are involved in the make it in america agenda.

trade policy, critically important. not the subject for tonight but the trade policy of the united states as it affects jobs and bringing jobs become to america. taxes. tax policy extremely important. i don't think the american public knew that prior to two years ago, american corporations were rewarded for offshoring jobs. when the democrats controlled the house of representatives, we eliminated some $16 billion annual tax reductions that american corporations had to offshore jobs. the energy issues, that's not the subject for tonight but given what our republican colleagues are talking about and my little one-minute here, that is a major issue. and we know that the green energy economy creates jobs, the old coal economy doesn't. labor issues. the value of labor. rebuilding the middle class. research, critically important,

but not the subject for tonight. and infrastructure, which is often our subject, we'll put off until next week. what we want to talk about tonight is education. we want to talk about the role of education in rebuilding the american economy. a critical, critical part of the education issue is something that's going to happen in five days. at the end of this month, on july 1, 2013, thousands upon thousands, indeed, millions of students across the united states that have received stafford loans are going see a doubling of their interest rate. an interest rate that will go from 3.4% to 6.8%. an incredible burden on the students across the entire nation, some who finished

school, others who are about to fenish school or just finished their graduation ceremonies, will be greeted with a doubling of interest rates. on the democratic side of the aisle we've put forth more than 200 of us have already signed up for a effort to bring to the floor a solution to this problem. so we want to talk about that tonight. we want to talk about the democratic solution to avoid this extraordinary problem that will be faced by millions of students who have graduated and have just picked up their degree this month. joining me tonight for this discussion is mark takano a newly elected representative from the state of california who represents the university of california riverside campus. mark please join us, take up that microphone in front of you and tell us how this affects your district and the students

in your district. mr. takano: i thank my colleague, mr. garamendi of will do a, what this is put many of my students who were already burdened with a great deal of debt load, there are many students who bear even greater load because they attend private universitys in my area, and many of my students leave my district for other schools, going to out of state schools. the student loan debt is, i think, a hugely serious, serious problem. before i came to congress i was a teacher for 23 years. i taught high school. i always tried to counsel my students to be careful about the debts they took on.

i would like to let my colleague know that over -- when i was graduating from high school in the late 1970's, i graduated, went on to an ivy league school on the east coast, package at the ivy league school put together, contribution from my parents, some work-study, but my total loan endebtedness from four years of harvard college does not compete $15,000. that was an amount i could fairly easily manage. i am just horrified that students are racking up debts for undergraduate study of $80,000 or $100,000 worth of debt, let alone the debt they have to incur when they go on to their masters programs. doubling of the interest rates would add just a tremendous urden to these students.

mr. garamendi: we can look at the math, it's $100,000 debt, 3.4%, and you're just paying just the interest, not the principal of the loan, talking about $3,400 a year that you'd be paying at the current rate. double it, you're talking $6,8 hurblings a year. -- $6,800 a year. just that alone, without paying down the principal, that's a significant burden on a person that's leaving school, graduating just this year. we need to deal with that and the effort that's under way here by the democrats in congress and also by president obama who has put forth, i think, a very solid program, gives the students an opportunity, this is a very interesting chart here, mark, i think it's one that you're aware of, and i know you paid off your loan now but that student hasn't. mr. takano: i did take on some more debt to get my master's

degree before i came here, two years before i came here. it was a two-year master's degree. because of my incomes a teacher, many years as a teacher, i came in close to $40,000 worth of debt i'm paying off through the federal treasury. but it's not the stafford loan that's subsidized. but i have a sense of just -- that's part of my horror of the amount of debt load students are carrying. mr. gare member dee: tissue mr. garamendi: then you're one of these students, ex-students, $1 trillion. this number, the total student loan is well over $1 trillion today. this is greater than the total credit card debt of every american. . so we're looking at a situation where student debt is now larger than the credit card debts of all americans. this is an enormous burden. but what this also does, and,

you know, perhaps you have not only personal experience but other, is that when a student graduates their first obligation is to pay off this debt. this cannot be -- you can't go into bankruptcy. this debt's going to follow you with or without bankruptcy. you've got to make these payments. now, last year we passed a bill that tends to modify how much you can pay. i think it's no more than 10%. the president's proposal takes applies to 10% not just to the new loans that are taken out, but to all existing loans so that as your income from a teacher, you would be required to pay no income to 0% of your pay down this debt. but if this debt has an interest rate of 3.4%, well, you can get it paid off more quickly. but if it's 6.8%, it's going to take longer and be more difficult. tack tack the affects on that amount of -- tack tack the

fect of that amount of -- mr. at that canow: that's diagnose to affect the public sector. it will severely limit the kind of employment that young people might seek out. mr. takano: anyway. mr. garamendi: certainly that and a young person graduating from college, sometimes they want to get married. may have to delay that. they want to form a household. mr. takano: it certainly hurt ours economy in a that way, that we're going to delay buying homes and a home and starting a family with this debt overhanging. beyond the interest rates, i

also believe we need to also focus on lowering the principle, making sure we support our public -- our institutions of higher ed, our public institutions. to make sure that the principle isn't there. but certainly i support our caucus' effort to keep interest rates from doubling. it's a very sad fact to say that doing nothing, if we don't get our way, that doing nothing is actually better than what he republicans proposed. i'm doing put up a -- mr. garamendi: i'm going to put up another chart here that speaks to what you just said. this chart talks about the -- our colleagues' proposal, that was one that we passed here. like to say that this is

really about making education more expensive. and here's how it works. our proposal is to keep the interest rate -- this is a person that's maxed out. they borrowed the maximum amount from the staffered loan. this is the subsidized portion of it. and this is the total interest that they pay over five years of a subsidized loan. the proposal that we put rward would be $4,174 of interest. what's going to happen unless we pass a law is that that number will go to $8,808. that's the doubling of the interest rate from 3.4% to 6.8%. now, the thing that i'll never understand, and this bill passed the house of representatives a couple of months ago, was the propose albie our republican colleagues -- proposal by our republican colleagues that would force the students to pay more than just the doubling. and just the doubling, you go, what's that all about? why would they do that? and so under the proposal that we say actually makes education

more expensive, the republican proposal would go to $10,109. as opposed to our proposal hich would keep it at $4,174 or even allowing the rate to double. the republican proposal's actually more expensive. it doesn't make sense. i would say nonsense is probably a better way of describing -- no sense. but it just creates a serious problem. now, the proposal that the president has made is somewhere between these two numbers. actually just a little over $4,000. and that proposal is based on a 10-year note, the 10-year bond, treasury bond, that would then set the floor. this one is also based on the treasury bond. that's the g.o.p. proposal. but it is like an adjustable rate mortgage on your home. so that every year, as the interest changes, you're going to pay more and more.

and we know that right now interest rates were just three weeks ago at an all-time low. but now you're looking at a situation where we're looking at those interest rates going up and the republican proposal would automatically adjust upward. it's one of the adjustable rate mortgages that got this country into such great trouble. i notice that rush holder is here from -- excuse me, new jersey, excuse me, rush. but new jersey, russ holt. please join us. i know this is a situation deer to you. you represent a university. what is that university? mr. holt: i represent a number of students in universities, students who have been to universities. and students who hope to go to university. for whom this is very important. and as a member of the education and work force committee, i was involved in

writing the legislation that resulted in the current lower interest rate. so it is -- i take this very personally for all sorts of reasons. and as you point out, there are a number of problems with what is about to happen and what the majority republican party is proposing here with adjustable rates that could trap students r former students with unmanageable debt. but what bothers me the most is why they are doing it. why they are doing it. the point is they are trying to raise revenue without appearing to raise taxes. they are unwilling to ask a fair share from people in this economy who are doing well and instead want to turn to students and recent graduates and ask them to balance the

budget. to reduce the deficit. and so that's why the interest rates are going up. it is so that they can collect more money. and they are collecting it, they would be collecting it from students. just as you've been discussing, just the wrong thing to do for an economy that is going to eate new jobs, new job entry -- create economic growth. mr. garamendi: let me see if i understand what you were saying. the republican proposal, which has passed the house of representatives, is over in the senate and hopefully will die there, by their proposal of allowing an adjustable rate on the student loan, they will actually bring money into the united states treasury to reduce the deficit?

or are they going to use that money for education? >> oh, this -- mr. holt: oh, this is very definitely a revenue-raising measure. because they have this hard and fast principle against collecting revenue from people who can afford to pay it and ho are doing well. mr. garamendi: we certainly have seen this many, many times over here on the floor and you may want to comment on this. mr. takano: i want to take a little different slant on this, if i might. i actually want to turn to a topic and the reason why i want to turn to this topic is because of what the senate is doing. what it was doing yesterday and today. they're considering the comprehensive immigration bill. of course in that comprehensive immigration bill is a provision on the dreamers. but the point you're making about the republican attempt to raise revenue without asking for it, put it on the burden of

our students, our young people, we wouldn't have to do this if this house will follow suit and pass a comprehensive immigration bill. i'm going to tell you why. i'm going to make an economic argument for why comprehensive immigration is good for our country and our economy. thanks -- as the debate conditions on -- continues on immigration reform, the affect that fixing our immigration system would have on our economy is becoming quite clear. opponents of immigration reform don't seem to understand the benefits of our broken system. many of the undocumented immigrants in this nation are already working. yet because of their legal status, they're forced to pay into the underground economy, with no labor protections and no way to pay into the system. we should allow these individuals to come out of the shadows and put them on the pathway to citizenship. as an example, say there's an

undocumented worker in my district because he or she is undocumented that working may only be making $4 or $5 an hour instead of the california minimum wage of $8 an hour. if comprehensive immigration reform is passed, the law will mandate that all workers be paid minimum wage which will in turn increase their buying power, raise revenues for businesses and drive up wages for everyone else. thus increationing our g.d.p. growth rate. you know, not needing to have to resort to these tricks of variable interest rates on our students to raise revenue for our government. recent analysis by the social security administration showed that without comprehensive immigration reform, our annual growth rate would only be 4.5% but with comprehensive immigration reform, our annual growth rate shoots up to 6.1%. this increase in g.d.p. is going to have a tremendous effect on our job market.

earlier this year, republican senator marco rubio sent a letter to social security chief act wear -- actuary asking for an analysis of the legislation. in his response, chief actuary said that the senate's immigration reform proposal 3.2 million jobs by 2024. new jobs. in his reply, the chief actuary also said, quote, we estimate a significant increase in both the population and the number of workers paying taxes in the united states as a result of these changes. 3.2 million new jobs by 2024 is a serious jobs plan for america. a report by the kato institute analyzed data and estimates that there will be a 1.5 trillion -- $1.5 trillion increase in 10 years to household income. the middle class has been struggling for some time as their wages have remained

stagnant for 30 years. the jeez on the middle class has -- the squeeze on the middle class has forced average families to go into debt just to go by. mortgage payments, college loans and the cost of health insurance have all skyrocketed but wages have barely increased. passing comprehensive immigration reform will help close this gap. the more people we have working and the more people -- and the more they consume means that our federal government, that our federal deficit will come down at an estimated -- get this -- $875 billion over 20 years. but it doesn't stop there. social security is going to benefit greatly as well. as some 75 million baby boomers prepare to retire, the immigrant community, which is generally younger than the overall population, will help the balance sheet by bringing in more revenue to offset

retirees taking out benefits. it's been estimated that comprehensive immigration reform will add $4.6 trillion net to social security over the next 75 years. the problem we face with social security is the ratio of workers to retirees. 60 years ago there were 16 workers for every retiree. 0 years from now, when -- 20 years from now that ratio will be down to 2 1/2 to one unless we pass comprehensive immigration reform. comprehensive immigration reform is going to help social security in several ways. first, most immigrants who come to the united states are between the ages of 18 and 35. for decades these working immigrants will be contributing to social security. second, few come to the united states with their parents and the seniors that do come aren't eligible for social security. and finally, immigrants tend to have more children than

native-born americans and their offspring will also pay into the system for decades to come. the numbers don't lie. comprehensive immigration reform will improve our nation in many different ways but especially economically. the time is now. thank you. mr. gare men tee: i thank the gentleman for presenting those numbers. it's been in the news recently that the immigration bill would reduce the deficit. i'm sure people around the country scratched their head and went, how could that be? but you made it quite clear. it improves the economy in several ways, just as making college more affordable improves the economy -- mr. holt: just as making college more affordable improves the economy. and we are all more prosperous. the result is, the deficit goes down and we all have improved quality of life. mr. garamendi: very interesting.

you're right about the role of immigration and reform, we talk about the dreamers, young men and women who came here as children, brought hering they don't have their papers, but they also do not have the opportunity to really get the kind of education, so we have the dreamers. but here's what i think mr. holt was talking about that's really important, and this is part of what you were saying, mr. takano, about immigration reform, access to all the benefits of the my and what it means. if you happen to be a person that has less than a high school education, which is where you started your discussion on the immigration act, taking a look at perhaps s high as 14% unemployment and the average median -- excuse me, not average, but median earnings less than $500 a week.

$451 a week. if you get a high school degree, you make $638, the median weekly income but still looking at 9.4% unemployment. now, and here's where the issue of education comes in at the post-high school education, and here's where the stafford loan issue comes in. if you're able to go to college and get that bachelor's degree, your income is going to be more than double if you don't finish high school and nearly double what you would have if you were able to fin herb high school. so getting that education, and this is part of the immigration issue and it's the facts that you were laying out so very well, mr. takano, if you're able to get that education with borrowing money, stafford loan, subsidized or unsubsidized, with the low interest rate, you're going to be looking at a median weekly earning of well over $1,000. and your unemployment rate will

be less than 5%. you go on and get that professional degree, here's where you new york your own history, have been able to get that professional degree, that master's degree, you're looking at $1,600 median weekly income and the unemployment rate is down. so here you begin to see not only how immigration fits into education, but how an individual, an immigrant or not, will be able to improve their life and as they improve their personal life, they are improving the economy. they're bringing greater wealth to the economy. greater productivity, effectiveness and efficiency to the economy. all of this is dependent upon an immigration reform, as you pointed out so very well, as well as how we finance education. the allow these -- allow situation that's going to occur in just five tais, in just five

days, we're coming up against a crisis for the education and for those men and women, immigrants or not, that want to get an education and want to move beyond high school, they're looking at a doubling, at least 6.8%, of their interest rate on their loans, on the stafford loans. so they're going, well maybe, maybe i can't finish college. maybe i can't even start. maybe i'm not going to be able to get that master's degree or that doctorate where i know that i will be able to be more productive to the economy and earn a higher living. so these things fit together. i thank you so very much for pointing out the way in which the immigration issue fits into this and we must have comprehensive immigration reform. mr. takano: it's my pleasure, it could be an additional -- you have seven points to our economic agenda, really,

comprehensive immigration reform should be the eighth one. you know, the wealth of our country really is in the skills and knowledge of our people. we need to find a pathway for 11 million people, have them come out of the shah coes, have a pathway to citizenship, and that tied together with investments and their skills and knowledge really raises up, really, the true wealth of our country which is in etc. eople, which is in her people. mr. garamendi: this is the make it in america agenda. you could easily add to this immigration reform as one of the thicks we need to do. these men and women, some million, here without documents, are unable to really rise up into these more highly

skilled jobs. in many ways, their educational opportunities an their children's educational opportunities may be limited. s the fundamental investment in any society. and giving access to people with that education, immigrant or not, allows us to build the american economy. mr. takano: so much of the focus does go become to education, the immediate to find effective ways to educate all the immigrant children, -- the that investments we need to make in our basic scientific research, to make sure we have the basic scientific -- the scientists, the scientists are so important, et takes years and years of developing people to become these highly skilled, highly knowledgeable scientists who will create in turn the

inventions, the technology that will transfer into our pre-eminence in trade. we're a great country because we are so great at patents so great at creating new medications. this all comes from the highly educated work force. and by the way, comprehensive immigration reform means we can draw in some of the best talent in silicon valley, the best talent into our pharmaceutical research labs. mr. garamendi: it's true. the comprehensive immigration reform bill being discussed brings into our economy those people that have the high skills, many of whom came here and got an education, but under the current law have to leave and go start their business in china, india, or somewhere else around the world. part of that comprehensive immigration reform would allow those men and women that would tissue that have taken their education, gotten their degree, the doctorate in education or electrical engineering or whatever, to stay in the united

states, it turns out that in our state, california, the great engine of economic growth, some of it in southern california with the entertainment industry and the way in which it is now merging into the electronic industry and all the things that are ing on with google and the use of smart phones for disseminating content, movies and the like, and in the silicon valley, many of those startup companies are immigrants. in fact, in silicon valley, the majority of startups in the silicon valley are immigrants. very interesting fact that goes back to the issue of immigration reform. we want to bring to america the talent, we want to bring, we want to be able to use in america these extraordinary workers and make sure that the education system that then is

the fundamental investment, they have access to it and they're able to participate and move our economy forward. mr. takano: our -- we all come from, most of us come from immigrant stock. i think you're italian, my fore bears came from japan, we ourselves are the examples of the striving of generations, people who believed in getting, i'm pretty sure your parents as well as mine instilled the importance of education. it's the story of america repeated over and over again, people coming here because they hear about the freedom, the way of life that we have and the opportunity that our country represents and much of it is embodied in our belief in education, in being -- in education being the platform, the launching pad for entering the middle class.

certainly this dream will be -- if we don't watch out for things like doubling the interest rates or allowing interest rates to tied to variable rates and as mr. holt pointed out, he asserts that really, it's a very sly way to try to raise revenue without actually being straightforward about it. it's a way to raise revenue on the backs of our children. i say, let's do sensible things, pass comprehensive immigration reform, it by itself, by the numbers i just showed, provide a tremendous amount of revenue to our government simply by the fact that we bring so many -- ewe harness the energy of so many aspirational people. mr. garamendi: all of that is true. we've got five days.

the congress of he united states has five days in which to make a fundamental decision those who treat are parties waiting in the most important investment any society makes, the investment in education. we're asking students is -- students to pay through their own education through loans, some fwrans that are given through pell grants but they're taking on an enormous amount of debt. students have taken on a trillion dollars of debt. a large portion of that is stafford loans, subsidized and unsubsidized. the loan rate on those programs are going to double. from 3.4% to 6.8% in just five days. creating an enormous burden on the students who we rely on to grow our economy. they've made the investment. this society has made the investment in them. we need to free them so they

can participate more fully in our society. so that they can participate as consumers, so they can participate as small businesses men and women, the entrepreneurs. all of this is possible if we take action. and we must. we owe it to those students, we owe it to the economy, we owe it to our ability to make it once again in america. all of these things come together and the immigration reform, as you pointed out, mr. mark, i'm sorry, that's the person usually with me from new york. but i appreciate you being with us tonight and enge we've closed off this subject. we'll be back next week to talk about making it many america d in america, about jobs, and today we talked about how education fits into the jobs agenda. we've got five days to solve a very, very serious problem for millions of americans who have gotten their education, just

graduated and are now faced with a doubling ofer that interest rate. we can to this. we have the power, we have the ability, we have the proposal the president's proposal and the proposal here of the democrats. we ask that those proposes be acted upon. with that, i yield back my remaining time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. under the speaker's policy of january 3, 2013, the gentlewoman from alabama, mrs. roby is recognized for 60 minutes as the designee of the majority leader. mrs. roby: thank you so much, mr. speaker. it's a privilege to be here on the floor tonight with my colleagues to discuss a very, very important issue and it's affordable energy and mr. speaker, like we did a few weeks ago, i just want to invite all of our constituents that might be paying attention right now that they can contact

us at #affordableenergy. it's something new, mr. speaker, as a way to continue communication with those that we represent back home, in an effort to answer very important questions about some of the things that we've read in the news recently today. today, the president, president obama launched his latest assault in the war on coal. those aren't my words, that's how president obama's own comment is out there, told the "new york times" just hours before his speech today. and let me quote him. the one thing the president really needs to do now is begin the process of shutting down the conventional coal plants. politically, the white house is hesitant to say they