mr. farr: i will yield to you for a question if you'll -- mr. cassidy: sure. mr. farr: explain to me what is broken that needs $11 billion more right now, with the $150 billion that you've already been given or will be given. mr. cassidy: this is what is broken. this is our coast line which is melting away. this is what increases our risk. we've lost the land mass equal to rhode island in louisiana. now, the money that is received, our share, will go to this but it is not adequate to rebuild this coast line. and the other thing which is broken -- mr. farr: you've lost the coast line why? mr. cassidy: because we channeled the mississippi to create navigational services for the rest of the inland nation. as you channel that mississippi, the wetlands lost the nourishing settlement that comes to them. mr. farr: and those are the states that have also in-state waters onshore and offshore drilling? mr. cassidy: yes, absolutely.

mr. farr: which are very lucrative revenues for the state? mr. cassidy: all i do is ask for a same deal that every other state has. no. every other state of the interior gets 50% of the revenue. other coastal states, for example, california, have no cap on the amount of royalty sharing they have with the federal government. it is only in the gulf coast they have a cap. if you want the same deal i'd love to have the 50% that wyoming has. mr. farr: onshore, not offshore. we actually have caps with offshore and we have banned further offshore drilling, both state and federal. mr. cassidy: if you want to cut off your economic nose with your face, i can't argue that. mr. farr: now with this amendment you're proposing it seems it flies in the face of the policy of your own party that you want to take out of the treasury. $11 billion that could be applied to deficit reduction

and given to the gulf states hich already have $150 billion over the next -- in revenue. that's far more than california. mr. cassidy: my -- your verbal sleight of hand because never in the past have royalty sharing been considered earmarks. but if now we're going to be considering royalty sharing earmarks, heck, let's look at every state. under the verbal sleight of hand, i think the gentleman knows that. mr. farr: if this was brought up in the appropriations committee it would be an earmark. it is a process that should be in the appropriations process nd not added to this bill. $11 billion earmark for four gulf states. mr. cassidy: i would say we need to go back to every state which has a better royalty sharing arrangement with the federal government than we and ask to reconsider that. we are not even asking to have the 50% on the inland or the no

cap on the other coastal states. we're just asking that you raise the cap and keep our revenue sharing percent at the same lower level than it is the inland. i don't know why we're being singled out when the other states do so well. mr. farr: i think with the chair of your committee, mr. hastings, who knows this that the -- only about 40% of the money that comes in for the land and water conservation account -- of the revenue that comes from the offshore drilling, only 40% of it is given back to the states for land and water conservation purposes. that other 60% goes into the treasury. that's where this money goes and what you're doing is getting something none of the other states have. if we want to revise the percentage of the money that goes into the land and water conservation fund i'm all for that. mr. cassidy: i spoke to wyoming said, we get 48%. why does 48% -- the chair: the gentleman from california's time has expired.

the gentleman from louisiana. mr. hastings: would the gentleman from louisiana yield to me? i would say the gentleman, good friend from california, talks about revenue lost. i point out the c.b.o. says is legislation will create $1.5 billion to the federal government. i thank the gentleman for yielding. mr. cassidy: i now -- how much time do i have left? the chair: the gentleman from louisiana has a minute and one quarter left. mr. cassidy: i recognize my friend from louisiana, mr. scalise. the chair: the gentleman from how iana is recognized for long? mr. cassidy: 40 seconds. mr. the chair: 45 seconds. mr. scalise: i want to thank the gentleman from louisiana, mr. cassidy, for yielding and for bringing this amendment. this was important to point out this was an arbitrary cap put in place based on problems that were really created in the 1950's when initial revenue sharing was done. for whatever reason. there are various reasons. one state was singled out to not be able to participate in

revenue sharing. it just so happens to be the state that produces about 30% of the offshore oil and gas. all we're asking for is a little bit closer to fairness. this bill is a -- this amendment's a really important step in the right direction. and continues the concept we've always promoted is to allow states that do participate in producing american energy to also participate in the revenue that's produced to the federal treasury. it's an incentive. that kind support of thing and i yield back. mr. cassidy: thank you, mr. chairman. i'm not sure i understand the logic of my friend on the other side of the aisle. apparently this is going to increase our federal revenue by $1.5 billion. but more importantly, it generates dollars for the state of louisiana to preserve these -- the homes of these families. this allows revenue that has outer from our continental shelf to come back to preserve this coastline, these families and these businesses to remain in existence. and that's what this is really

about. equity, increased revenue for the federal government and families in louisiana being able to preserve their existence. i urge support of our amendment. thank you. i yield back. the chair: the gentleman's time has expired. the question is on the amendment offered by the gentleman from louisiana, as modified. those in favor say aye. those opposed, no. in the opinion of the chair, the ayes have it. the amendment, as modified, is agreed to. mr. farr: i request a recorded vote. the chair: the gentleman from california asks for a recorded vote. pursuant to clause 6 of rule 18, further proceedings on the amendment offered by the gentleman from california will be postponed. it is now in order to consider amendment number 6 pribted in house report 113-131 -- printed in house report 113-131. for what purpose does the gentleman from louisiana seek recognition? mr. cassidy: to offer the amendment. the chair: the clerk will designate the amendment. the clerk: amendment number 6 rinted in house report 113-131 offered by mr. cassidy of

louisiana. the chair: pursuant to house resolution 274, the gentleman from louisiana, mr. cassidy, and a member opposed, each will control five minutes. the chair recognizes the gentleman from louisiana. mr. cassidy: mr. chairman, this amendment simply stipulates that no later than 60 days after the enactment of h.r. 2231 the secretary of interior shall issue rules to provide clarity, certainty and stability to the revenue streams we just discussed that 2006. eated by gomesa of this federal law allows the states to use this money for the restoration of coastal areas and the mitigation of damage to natural resources. however, the bureau of ocean energy management, formerly mmf, has not issued the necessary rules and regulations. in 2009, a letter signed by the governors of alabama, louisiana, mississippi and texas, it's now 2013, over six years since congress passed gomesa and the rules have not been published. the lack of implementation

impeds gulf states and other subdivisions to conduct the planning efforts the need to maximize coastal protections. it's overdufort the rules to be published. it directs it to move so. i ask for approval of the amendment. i yield to the gentleman. mr. hastings: i think his amendment, again, adds to a great deal to this legislation. i support the amendment and i yield back to the gentleman. mr. cassidy: i reserve the balance of my time. the chair: the gentleman from louisiana yields back the -- reserves the balance of his time. for what purpose does the gentleman from california rise? >> i claim time in opposition though i am not opposed. the chair: the gentleman is recognized for five minutes. this and i oppose yield back. the chair: the gentleman from louisiana is recognized. mr. cassidy: i yield back. the chair: the question is on the amendment offered by the gentleman from louisiana. those in favor say aye. those opposed, no. in the opinion of the chair, the ayes have it. he amendment is agreed to.

it is now in order to consider amendment number 7 printed in house report 113-131. for what purpose does the gentleman from virginia seek recognition? mr. rigell: amendment at the desk. the chair: the clerk will designate the amendment. the clerk: amendment number 7 printed in part b of house report 113-131 offered by mr. rigell of virginia. the chair: pursuant to house resolution 274, the gentleman from virginia, mr. rigell, and a member opposed, each will control five minutes. the chair recognizes the gentleman from virginia. mr. rigell: i yield myself one minute. the chair: the gentleman is recognized for one minute. mr. rigell: i rise in support 31 y amendment to h.r. 22 which would have the administration to complete the impact statement to december 31, 2013, which would calculate the estimates of the potential that's off our shores.

's been 30 years since geolg and geophysical have been conducted in atlantic waters. now, these studies used outdated technology. and the energy out there is surely inaccurate and i believe it's low. for example, we collected five times more oil in the gulf of mexico than the government estimated to be there in 1983. to study also will allow us move forward with a critical component of renewable energy, and that's wind. so for all those reasons, the administration must stay on track here and issue it's long-awaited environmental impact statement and do that on time. that's what my amendment ensures happens, and it moves forward with energy production and really importantly job creation using the best science available. i reserve the balance of my time. mr. hastings: if the gentleman will yield? mr. rigell: yes. mr. hastings: we had discussions in the committee on

the accuracy of the data and this legislation says that -- the chair: the gentleman's time has expired. mr. rigell: i yield a minute to -- the chair: the gentleman is recognized for one minute. mr. hastings: i thank the gentleman. and the point is that this legislation says that one ought to drill where the resources are. and the gentleman's amendment i think goes a long way in that direction, and i commend him for that and i support it and i yield back to the gentleman. mr. rigell: i thank the gentleman and thank you for your leadership on this bill. i'd like to yield to my friend and colleague from virginia, mr. wittman. the chair: the gentleman from virginia is recognized for one minute. mr. wittman: i rise in support of the gentleman from virginia's amendment that sets the deadline for the bureau of ocean energy management to complete an environmental review to allow offshore atlantic seismic studies to go forward. i've joined 42 bipartisan house colleagues urging president obama to move quickly to complete the environmental analysis. i ask unanimous consent to submit a copy of this letter and the response from the

department of interior for the record. the chair: that request will be covered under general leave. mr. wittman: unfortunately, the sbept of -- the department of interior is well over a year behind in their work. this prevents thousands of good-paying jobs and around $19 billion for state and local revenue. i'm glad to join chairman hastings in supporting the bill. this promotes revenue sharing and job creation. this is about jobs, energy independence and just plain old common sense. i urge my colleagues to support this amendment and this important energy bill. with that, mr. chairman, i yield back. the chair: the gentleman from virginia yields back. the gentleman from virginia reserves. for what purpose does the gentleman from california seek recognition? mr. lowenthal: i rise in opposition to the gentleman's amendment. the chair: the gentleman is recognized for five minutes. mr. lowenthal: thank you, mr. chairman. you know, as part of the interior department's five-year plan, the department of interior is preparing to allow

companies to re-evaluate the potential oil and gas resources in the mid and south atlantic using seismic and other testing. the interior department is going through the process of producing an environmental impact statement for that received cause they nine permit requests for seismic air gone surveys. -- aragon surveys. this is needed prior to permitting any new large-scale seismic surveys. it would establish a framework for future nepa evaluations of site-specific actions while identifying and analyzing mitigation measures for future programatic use. despite the claims of the majority, mr. chair, the interior department already tends to finish this programmatic e.i.s. at the end of this year. director boudreau testified before the house oversight and

government reform committee on may 16 of this year that, and i quote, in the spring of 2012, boem released the draft programmatic and environmental impact state for proposed geological and geophysical in the mid and south atlantic for public comment. the completion of this peis is for a region-specific strategy with respect to oil and gas exploration and development that will focus on the need to update information in order to inform future decisions on whether and where leasing would be appropriate. the final, and i quote, the final peis is expected to be published at the end of this year. that's what interior said over a month ago. their intention to finish the work at the end of this year. for some reason they need to complete additional surveys, we should not prevent them from doing so. but that's what this amendment would do. it would potentially short-circuit the nepa process. we should allow the interior

department to finish its work, to ensure these activities can occur in a way that does not adversely impact the environment and not tie their hands as the gentleman would do. i urge defeat of this amendment that would potentially truncate a proper environmental review, and i reserve the balance of my time. the chair: the gentleman from california reserves the balance of his time. the gentleman from virginia is recognized. mr. rigell: how much time is available here on this side? the chair: the gentleman from virginia has 2 1/2 minutes, and the gentleman from california has 2 1/2 minutes. mr. rigell: i yield myself such time as i may consume. the chair: the gentleman from virginia is recognized. mr. rigell: i appreciate the gentleman's argument. i certainly don't agree with it. the concern that we have, that i have personally of the administration's willingness to keep the tempo and the cadens of this whole process -- cadence of this whole process going forward is real. if i approach this with a great sense of urgency it's because people are hurting. we need to diverse our local

economy. this bill, the underlying bill supports could create 18,000 jobs in the hampton roads area of virginia alone, and i just so appreciate the full support that we have in principle from senators warner and kane on this very issue. this is a commonsense, common ground overall initiative to grow revenue that we need for better roads and healthier schools, by responsibly in an environmentally responsible way moving forward with coastal virginia energy. our governor supports it and i ran on it and has the support of so many different groups and the local chapter of the naccp and local chambers of commerce and it is a wonderful group of coalitions that have come together to say this is what is best for virginia and job creation. we need to move forward with this and i reserve.

the chair: the gentleman reserves the balance of his time. the gentleman from california is recognized. mr. lowenthal: i thank the gentleman from virginia for his arguments and the underlying process, we have no problem with. this ould we trunkate work? we do not object to the department of interior going forward. the department has said in a timely manner they will finish this this year. that is appropriate. it is not necessary at this moment to eliminate the environmental process when we know it's moving forward in a fair and judicial way and if anything comes up, we need to hear that and understand that for future oil leases. and so i really request that we urge defeat of this amendment and allow the proper process to go forward because we do not oppose the underlying theme of

he bill, but do oppose the trunkation of the process. mr. rigell: how much time is there? the chair: the gentleman from virginia has one minute remaining. mr. rigell: i appreciate the gentleman's argument but my deep concern about the federal's government commitment to moving this forward is legitimate and i urge adoption of the amendment and i yield back. the chair: the gentleman from virginia yields back. the gentleman from california is recognized. mr. lowenthal: i thank the gentleman from virginia, but the federal government does have a commitment and the department of interior to finish this in a timely manner. it is reported in the past month they are working on this and will finish it this year. notwithstanding the very strong arguments of the the gentleman want toginia, we do not

-- i urge a no vote. the chair: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. the question is on the amendment offered by the gentleman from virginia. those in favor say aye. those opposed, no. in the opinion of the chair, the ayes have it and the amendment is agreed to. mr. lowenthal: i request a recorded vote. the chair: pursuant to clause 6, rule 18, further proceedings on the amendment offered by the gentleman from virginia will be postponed. for what purpose does the gentleman from washington seek recognition? mr. hastings: i move the committee do now rise. the chair: the question is on the committee do now rise. those in favor say aye. those opposed, no. the ayes have it and the motion is adopted. accordingly, the committee rises.

the chair: the committee of the whole house having had under consideration h.r. 2231 directs me to report that it has come to no resolution thereon. the speaker pro tempore: the chair reports to the committee has had under consideration h.r. 2231 and has come to no esolution thereon. the chair lays before the house a message. the clerk: to the congress of the united states. in accordance with section 502 of the trade act of the 1974 as amended i'm providing notification of my intent to suspend the designation of bangladesh as a beneficiary developing country under the general ralized system of preferences program, section 502 of the 1974 act provides the president shall not designate any country a beneficiary

developing country under the g.s.p. if the country is not taking steps to afford internationally recognized worker rights in the country. section 502 of the 1974 act provides that after complying with the requirements of section 502 of the 1974 act, the president shall withdraw or suspend the designation of any country as a beneficiary developing country if, after such designation, the president determines that as the result of changed circumstances, such country would be barred from designation as a beneficiary developing country under section of the 1974 act. having considered the factors set forth in section 502 b-2-g i have determined that it is appropriate to suspend bangladesh's designation as a

beneficiary developing country under the g.s.p. program because it is not taking steps to afford internationally recognized workers' rights to workers in the country. signed barack obama, the white house. the speaker pro tempore: referred to the committee on ways and means and ordered printed. pursuant to clause 12-a of rule 1, the house will stand in

the ministration is issued a veto threat to this bill, but the republicans keep pushing him because it is a failing political message for the campaign season. >> what are the areas the bill would open up? >> the golf of mexico, the california coast, and the eastern shore of the united states, which part of the united states differs a little bit, and most of them are done by 20/20. >> how much oil and gas are these new fields supposed to yield? >> the republicans like to point mucht could increase how

oil we produce. something that i tended -- attended a briefing with with kevin mccarthy, along with other sponsors, they talk about how jobs and the with energy security of the united states. about, i do not talk lot of the oil in north dakota, one more piece of the pie that they think can help us get closer to independence. >> what are democrats arguing against the bill? >> is moving forward drastically. one of the debates we have seen, and you are seeing democrats on the house miles apart from republicans, the debate over and over again, because relating is one of the few issues that the house republican conference is very united about. it is easy for speaker boehner to move these bills because he

knows it will unite his conference. >> the bill runs on the heels of obama's major speech on the environment's and energy regulations. your article headlines that the republicans are answering obama with a drilling bill, and you point out the president saying we do not have time for a urch society.e b >> the science behind climate change is exacerbating climate change with rising greenhouse gases issues, so compelling that it demands action immediately. republicans and house are blind so they arence, moving forward ironically the day after the president announced this plant with more ambitious trilling plans. it is evidence how far apart president obama and a lot of the

democratic party is with republicans in the house and many in the senate. >> will the bill passed in- house? definitely pass. you hear about the creation of jobs and democrats concern about an frontal degradation. like most chilling bills, it will be dead on arrival in the senate. one portion of the bill, which will create revenue sharing, will take some of the money that oil companies pay for royalties so that states can have a piece of pie. that idea has named traction in the senate, with senator murkowski and senator lam ndrieu. for joining us. >> thank you for having me. in more than 30 minutes we

to the offshore gas and oil drilling bill. a quick update, after three weeks of debate, the senate voted 68-32 to pass an immigration bill. votes, a wait for the discussion of the dramatic immunity from this morning. we want to introduce you lee, a state department correspondent for the ap, here to do discuss the diplomatic immunity, and we will tie that into the edward snowden case. if we could start with the question, that is the dramatic immunity? privilege ora something that dates back many times.back to the medial

it basically is a privilege that allows representatives of states to do their business in other states without fear of prosecution. that if aprocal, so both people will be protected and not allowed to be rejected, subpoenaed. it was an informal arrangement for thousands of years between agent kingdoms, and codified in the 1800's and most recently by the vienna conventions on diplomatic and consular immunity. tot: and ambassador can come our country, and we send them, and they are protected by immunity? guest: correct. host: if someone is with the ambassador? guest: no, they are not, unless

an immediate family member who is almost always covered. a random stranger or someone you pick up and have in your car would not be covered by the immunity. i am not sure that would be an issue. host: would the car be protected? guest: if it were the property of the embassy or consulate in general, the car would be protected. -- diplomatic immunity does not mean diplomats have a license to break the law. i cannot be an ambassador here, kill someone, and expect that i will necessarily get away with it, because what would happen in a case like that the jurisdiction where the crime would probably arrest you, you would claim to be led it immunity, but the government

would most likely ask the country where you are from to waive your diplomatic immunity. this has happened in a number of cases in the united states, but more around the world. host: what is asylum? a citizen of a country presents himself or herself either to the territory, the physical territory, of country y, or an embassy, and embassy of country y's, overseas, technically a sovereign territory, and asks for sasylum. you have to be on that country tot soil -- country's soil ask for asylum. ecuador has not passed that claim yet because snowden is not in ecuador or at their embassy,

which is correct because he is stuck in the airport transit lounge. host: in moscow. ecuador hints snowden may need to wait a while and they quote the foreign minister talking about the julie and i son chase, where he is still the embassy in london, saying it took two months to process that and he thinks it will take a while to process a snowden case. -- assange isch protected by? guest: by the diplomatic conventions. he presented himself to the e ecuadorianssy -- embassy, and once there he is in inviolable territory. the british authorities cannot pull him out. the twoerence between

cases is that a staunch -- assange made it to their territory in london whereas snowdon is in limbo. if snowden is in the lounge, what is his political ?tatus guest: his password has been revoked from the state department. he is still a u.s. citizen. -- nothing hasg changed. he has lost his citizenship, but right now he a travelseem to have document, he is a man in limbo. is he being protected by the russian government? guest: we do not know the

answers to it. the russians have not done anything to turn him over. in that sense am at least at the moment, where we are now, -- yes, they are kind of protecting him. they also have not made it clear what if anything they are going to do with him. it is really a high-stakes diplomatic game. guest: are the russians obligated by any treaty? guest: no, there is no extradition treaty. but there has been years of cooperation on law enforcement matters between the two many cases it in has happened in the past where one country has turned over russian fugitives to russia and

russia has turned over american fugitives to the united states. while there is not a formal treaty, it is clear in the past there has been cooperation on such things. so a wanted criminal in one country -- there has been president. host: we put the phone numbers up on the screen. if you have any questions, you can dial in. we will get to those calls in just a few minutes. here is headlines from this morning. host: do we have treaties with hong kong?

how would you describe the situation between hong kong and the u.s.? guest: not particularly good. the administration is not happy with the hong kong authorities. there is an extradition treaty between the united states and hong kong. it was negotiated with hong kong shortly before the handover from the uk to china. it has been used in the past. it is not applicable in political cases. the problem for the united states here is that the hong kong authorities are relying on this technicality, that it was the middle name they say was incorrect on the extradition paper. neither of the hong kong authorities nor the chinese really want to get involved in this.

they don't want it on their hands. i believe that is why they allowed him to go. does anyone really want to get into this kind of a fight with united states? it is much easier to wash your hands of it. now, there will be some lasting damage to u.s.-hong kong relations because of this, .specially because of the kind host: what is the scuttlebutt about edward snowden?

sayt: we have heard obama .e is playing it down it is a big deal. this guy is wanted. whatever the merits of that case, if he has been charged of crimes in the united states, the justice department wants to prosecute him. host: another twist in this game, venezuela said they would almost certainly shelter snowden. is he free to fly from moscow to venezuela with a revoked u.s. passport?

guest: the issue of the travel document is an important one. but it is possible to travel internationally without papers provided that the airline you are flying on and immigration authorities of the country you are leaving and arriving don't care. that can be done. that would only happen if senior officials with the airline and two governments involved would allow it. the issue of the passport is not necessarily a huge hindrance. the other option he has would be to get a temporary travel document from either venezuela or ecuador or wherever he might be able to go, and he could travel on that without any kind of problem.

issuing that kind of a temporary travel document is also going to require the intervention of senior officials in the countries involved. venezuela and ecuador clearly want to needle the united states with this kind of thing. i think the administration is really hoping that president putin and the russian authorities will step up and fulfill what they think their obligation is to the u.s. host: our guest is matt lee. we're talking about edward snowden. i apologize. kimberly is on our line for republicans. caller: i have a question as far as the situation with diplomatic immunity.

if they come over here and they have committed a crime, whether it is in this country or another country, are they safe from our laws? it seems they get away with crimes. guest: if a diplomat commits a crime -- the understanding of diplomatic immunity is it is only going to be used in extreme cases. diplomats have an obligation to try to respect and obey the laws of the country where they are posted. if they break the law, they are immune from prosecution unless a country decides to waive. diplomatic immunity is most

often a problem with unpaid parking tickets, traffic violations. there is millions and millions of dollars in parking fines that diplomats at the u.n. rack up, and then they claim diplomatic immunity and the city of new york can't collect. immunity is used in banal and not very exciting or newsworthy cases. it is rare when there is something like a murder or robbery or something like that. --st: does hp have somebody at ap have somebody at the moscow airport? guest: yes. host: was there someone from ap on that flight? guest: yes. host: do we have a treaty with

cuba if he landed in cuba? guest: no. but there is a school of thought in washington right now that one reason snowden was not on the flight is that the cubans are not quite sure -- the u.s. and cuba are dealing with another american who has been imprisoned. this would add another complication to it. whatever country takes him is going to be in for a rough ride from the united states. host: is there thought that he still has nsa confidential files that he could fly to these countries? guest: there is concern about things he still has.

as long as he has these laptops, if it is correct that he had these four computers with them when he went to hong kong, there is serious potential for additional classified information to come out. host: extradition with ecuador? guest: i do not know if there is a formal treaty with ecuador. i tend to think no. if the ecuadorians are going to grant him asylum, they would not extradite him. host: venezuela? guest: i do not believe there is a treaty with united states, but a country that comes out up front and says, you are welcome to come, please apply for asylum in our country, they would not

honor the treaty even if it existed. host: iceland was mentioned in this. guest: iceland has been a big supporter of mr. assange and wikileaks. their government and parliament has been very protective of whistleblowers, if that's the right term. it is not clear to me that iceland is going to be a factor here. caller: our ecuadorian friend has said that there are some ecuadorians in florida. i believe he said that they were bankers and have been injurious to the ecuadorian economy.

i don't know specifics more than that, but ecuador would like those people extradited back to ecuador. do you know anything about that, and perhaps that's the reason that ecuador has gotten involved in the current situation with snowden? guest: i do not know if that is the specific reason why. there are numerous latin american countries that have complaints that criminals or alleged criminals have been hiding or hanging out in united states, have been welcome here. that very well may be the case, that's the reason that they want this to stick this in the eye of the americans. the cubans in particular have complaints against united states.

united states has complaints about cuba harboring american fugitives. host: matt lee, if they reach the shore, they get asylum, correct? guest: correct. host: frank in maryland on the line for independents. caller: good morning. is there a process to revoke the immunity of a foreign diplomat? i will give you a practical case. i am from a country in central africa. the gabon ambassador, before he was appointed here, he was named and he is still named in an investigative report by the senate judiciary committee as a

money launderer. yet here, the administration approved it. guest: the only way that immunity can be revoked is if the country from which the diplomat is from agrees to waive the immunity. that would usually only happen following a request by the united states, or the host country. unless there was a diplomat from the country where the government changed and the new government did not like the diplomat who was accredited to the other country. if the ambassador or whoever the diplomat is is in good standing in his home country, it is unlikely that government is

going to waive immunity. host: office of immigration statistics, refugees and assylees in 2012. host: 58,000 persons were admitted to the u.s. as refugees in 2012. matthew lee, do you know who makes up that number? guest: specifically, no. people are fleeing wars in africa, in iraq. they come from all over the world. many of them are seeking

political asylum. in the snowden case, the united states is arguing this is not a political case. whatever the merits of the charges that have been filed, it's basically a theft case. in many ways, this is a case of theft of government documents and secrets as well as someone admitting to having released classified information. the united states would make the case to any country that was considering taking him that this is not a political case, this is a clear case of theft. host: a tweet -- host: and another tweet --

guest: i do not believe the my phone lines were among those being tracked. in terms of damage, it has had an impact. it's very difficult to get people to talk on the phone. it's not just me and my colleagues at the ap having this problem. it is pretty much all reporters. it has had a chilling effect on people being willing to take the risk and come forward. we are not even talking about people coming forward and releasing classified information. i'm talking about just calling an official in the state department building. it definitely has had an effect.

host: matt lee has been state correspondent since 2007. prior to that, he worked for afp. he served in cambodia for several years. mary is on our line for republicans. caller: good morning. i believe that mr. snowden should have immunity. i just heard you mention that there are a lot of people who have shut up because they are afraid. i'm 65 years old. i never thought i would see a country where we were so afraid to speak out for what we believe in. i am so glad to know the dirty little secrets that should not have been hidden.

i think it a shame that he had to run away. i believe in my heart that the administration is afraid of what is going to be told once he is caught. god forbid that the department of justice get a hold of him. he won't stand a chance. we have a whole different version of what is going on in washington. we did not elect these kinds of people. i say to the press to speak up. i am going to speak up against the wrong things that i think are going on. guest: the caller makes a good point. there is a bit of irony in what she said. at one point in snowden's

career, he did have diplomatic immunity when he was working for the cia under state department cover in geneva. but that immunity -- that immunity that a diplomat has a abroad does not apply to u.s. law and crimes that he might commit in jurisdiction. if i'm a diplomat serving overseas and i do something back here that is illegal, i have no immunity for that. it only applies to when you are outside of your own country. host: when you travel with the secretary, do you have immunity as a reporter? guest: no. host: do you know how many foreign officials in the u.s. have immunity right now?

guest: thousands. it is not just people in washington. every country in the world, including our biggest rogue states such as iran and north korea have diplomats in new york at the u.n. washington and new york are the biggest concentrations of people who have diplomatic immunity. there are also consulates at big cities around the country. there are foreign diplomats who enjoy something similar to diplomatic immunity. it is under a different name, consular immunity. it applies to actions that are done while working. if you are driving a car and you get into a car accident but you're on your way to conduct business on behalf of your country, it would apply.

but if you're at dinner and it is not an official function, it most likely would not apply. host: lake worth, florida, on our democrats line. caller: everybody who believes like i do that snowden is a patriot and has given his life for the country should go online and look how to donate to his defense fund. our country is in desperate need of transparency and accountability and it is really lacking. regular people have to put their money where their mouth is. host: is there a site that is taking legal donations for edward snowden? caller: there was, and i donated.

i found it on commondreams.org on how to donate to the case. his life is shot. i don't believe he will get a fair trial. i am older. my kids are grown. i don't think the people who are working and in debt can afford. i think they're afraid to speak up. host: thank you. guest: i think there is a big split. there is no consensus among the american population at large. people feel very strongly. he is a criminal, or he is a

whistleblower and should be protected. in washington, the opinion is pretty strong on the idea that he is a criminal who should be prosecuted. as much as you might disagree with the programs that mr. snowden exposed, they were technically legal. there's an argument to be made about whether he is a whistleblower who needs protection or whether he was just a disgruntled employee. i'm not taking any position on that. it is something for the courts to decide. host: have you in your coverage of the state department seen anything similar to this current case? guest: no. the closest we have seen to this would be the bradley manning

case, the wikileaks case, where an american citizen, a member of the military, turned over or allegedly turned over hundreds of thousands of sensitive documents to wikileaks. that's the closest we have seen to this. host: a tweet -- host: do you think russia is going to give snowden up to the u.s.? guest: i think the russians will look at this from their own perspective and will do and act with whatever they see is in their best interest. president putin is an old kgb hand and he certainly enjoys tweaking the united states, making life difficult for american presidents. all the american presidents.

in the end, i think the russians will look at if in fact mr. snowden has these laptop computers and documents. the russians clearly would like to get a look at what is on those computers. i don't know if that has happened. my suspicion is that if the russians do get access to the information on there, they don't have any real reason -- their interest in mr. snowden has been over. they got the information. he is a young man who probably doesn't have a lot of value to them other than what is in his possession on these computers. i don't know if the russians will decide in the end if it is in their best interest to really make a big bone of contention between them and the united states. i think we are beginning to see

a reduction in temperature here between -- president obama saying he's not going to talk to president putin about this because it should be dealt with at a lower level. if you get heads of state involved in things, it makes a big issue. the united states would like to see this as a simple criminal issue, not an issue of whistleblowing or political malfeasance. this to the administration is a crime, and one that should be dealt with like other crimes. this is a fugitive who has been charged in the united states. and like other fugitives, should be returned. that is their argument. i'm not sure the russians will decide in the end if it is worth keeping this guy, especially if they have got the information that he has. >> washington --

journal is live every morning at 7:00. the house is coming in now. o the permission granted in clause 2-h of rile 2 of the rules of the u.s. house of representatives, the clerk received the following message from the secretary of the senate on june 27, 2013, at 5:28 p.m. that the senate agreed to senate resolution 189. signed, sincerely, karen l. haas. the speaker pro tempore: pursuant to house resolution 274 and rule 18, the chair declares the house in the committee of the whole house on the state of the union for the further 2231. ration of h.r. will the gentleman from hultgren, kindly esume the chair.

the chair: the house is in the committee of the whole house on the state of the union for further consideration of h.r. 2231 which the clerk will report by title. the clerk: a bill to amend the outer continental shelf lands act to increase energy exploration and production on the outer continental shelf, provide for equitable revenue sharing for all coastal states, implement the reorganization of the functions of the former minerals management service, and to distinct and separate agencies and for other purposes. the chair: when the committee of the whole rose earlier today, a request for a recorded vote on amendment number 7 printed in part b of house report 113-171 -- 113-131 offered by mr. rigell had been postponed. pursuant to clause 6 of rule 18, proceedings will now resume on those amendments printed in part b of house report 113-131 on which further proceedings were

postponed. in the following order. amendment number 2 by mr. hastings of florida, amendment number 4 by mr. flores of texas, amendment number 5 by mr. cassidy of louisiana, amendment number 7 by mr. rigell of virginia. the chair will reduce to two minutes the minimum time for any electronic vote after the first vote in the series. the unfinished business is the request for a recorded vote on amendment number 2 printed in part b of house report 113-131 by the gentleman from florida, mr. hastings, on which further proceedings were postponed and on which the noes prevailed by voice vote. the clerk will redesignate the amendment. the clerk: amendment number 2 printed in part b of house report 113-131 offered by mr. hastings of florida. the chair: a recorded vote has been requested. those in support of the request for a recorded vote will rise and be counted. a sufficient number having arisen, a recorded vote is ordered. members will record their votes by electronic device. this will be a 15-minute vote.

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

the chair: on this vote --

the chair: on this vote, the yeas are 188, the nays are 233. the amendment is not adopted. the unfinished business is request for recorded vote on amendment number 4 printed in part b of house report 113-131 by the gentleman from texas, mr. flores, on which further proceedings were postponed and

the ayes were prevailed. the clerk: printed in house report of 113-131, amendment offered by mr. flores of texas. the chair: a recorded vote has been requested. those in support of a recorded vote will rise. a sufficient number having arisen, a recorded vote is ordered. members will record their votes by electronic device. . this is a two-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 chair: on this vote the yeas are 233, the nays are 190. he amendment is adopted. the unfinished business is the request for a recorded vote on amendment number 5 printed this part b of house report 113-131 by the gentleman from louisiana, mr. cassidy, on which further proceedings were postponed and on which the ayes prevailed by

voice vote. the clerk will redesignate the amendment. the clerk: amendment number 5 print fld part b of house report 113-131 offered by mr. cassidy of louisiana. as modified. the chair: a recorded vote has been requested. smor support -- those in support of the request for a recorded vote will rise and be counted. a sufficient number having arisen, a recorded vote is ordered. members will record their votes by electronic device. this will be a two-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 chair: on this vote the yeas are 238, the nays are 185, the mendment is adopted. the unfinished business is the

request for a recorded vote on amendment number 7 printed in part b of house report 113-131 by the gentleman from virginia, mr. rigell, on which further proceedings were postponed and on which the ayes prevailed by voice vote. the clerk will redesignate the amendment. the clerk: amendment number 7 printed in part b of house report 113-171 offered by mr. rigell of virginia. the chair: a recorded vote has been requested. those in support of the request for a recorded vote will rise and be counted. a sufficient number having arisen, a recorded vote is ordered. members will record their votes by electronic device. this is a two-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 chair: on this vote the yeas are 234, the nays are 191, the mendment is adopted. for what purpose does the gentleman from washington seek recognition? mr. hastings: mr. speaker, i move the house do now rise. or the committee rise. the chair: the question is on the motion that the committee rise. those in favor say aye. those opposed, no. the ayes have it. the motion is adopted. accordingly the committee rises.

the speaker pro tempore: the committee has had under jurisdiction h.r. 2231 and has come to no resolution thereon.

the speaker pro tempore: the ouse will be in order. he house will be in order. the chair will now entertain requests for one-minute peeches. the speaker pro tempore: members

please take your conversations utside the chambers. for what purpose does the gentlelady from north carolina seek recognition? ms. foxx: ask unanimous consent to address the house for one minute, mr. speaker, but the house is not in order. the speaker pro tempore: the ouse will be in order. he house will be in order. without objection, the gentlelady is recognized for one minute. ms. foxx: thank you, mr. speaker. house republicans have acted to stop federal student loan

interest rates to stop from doubling. our assignment is turned in. while the president and his senate -- democrat snats are registering an incomplete. yesterday, i spoke to students about our smarter solutions for students act that removes the distraction in politics from the equation and settles how interest rates are set. the president requested a solution much like ours, but his own party in the senate refused to pass the legislation. july 1 is coming and students know that means interest rates will double if the president doesn't lead and the senate doesn't act. this is what we are seeing from the president and senate. it's a good thing they sell red bull in the cafeteria because the students might require some. with that, i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman yields back. for what purpose does the gentlewoman from california seek

recognition. >> unanimous consent to address the house for one minute. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. the gentlewoman is recognized. ms. lee: i would like to talk about this week's supreme court's decision on the voting rights act which is a devastating blow to one of our most fundamental rights and that is the right to vote. i was born and raised in texas and i remember jim crow, segregation and the poll tax. the supreme court decision to turn the clock back to these tragic days in our american history, it's tragic how the majority of the court has refused to acknowledge these real threats to our voting rights and turn its back on the law that the people -- >> the house is not in order. the gentlelady deserves to be heard. the speaker pro tempore: the house will be in order. members are asked to take their conversations out of the chamber. the gentlelady is recognized.

ms. lee: as i was saying, it is tragic that the supreme court has refused to acknowledge these real threats to our voting rights and turn its back on the law that people fought and died for. now is the time for bipartisan congressional action. we must defend the heart and soul of this democracy. as dr. king once said, voting is the foundation stone for political action. and i'm reminded of this every year when i march across the bridge in selma, alabama with our great warrior, congressman john lewis, who really sacrificed so much for justice and for freedom. truly, our votes are the bedrock of our democracy. thank you and i yield. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady yields back. for what purpose does the gentlelady from wyoming seek recognition? mrs. lummis: permission to address the house for one minute. the chair: the gentlelady is

recognized. mrs. lummis: today in the oversight and government reform committee we heard from border officials that the border is not secure or more specifically, we heard no response when we asked, is the border secure or not, and they would not answer yes and they would not answer no. the american people have been asking for a secure border before we engage in comprehensive immigration reform for years. and the fact that this administration, and quite frankly previous administrations have not secured the border, makes it premature to address the senate bill here in the house. comprehensive immigration reform must be preceded by a secure border. mr. speaker, i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady yields back. for what purpose does the gentlewoman from illinois seek recognition? >> address the house for one

minute. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. the gentlelady is recognized for one minute. >> i rise today to urge my colleagues to write a shameful wrong committed by the supreme court and update the voting rights act to restore essential protection against voter discrimination. by gutting the act, it dishonored those who fought and died to protect the rights of the disenfranchised who continuously face discrimination. and access to early voting hinder the minority votes serve as proof that voter discrimination is a real threat. the voting rights act prevented discrimination, something it can't do as it exists now. we must immediately act to fix the gaping hole in this protection of the right to vote. each day that passes is another day justice is deferred.

we have a moral imperative to act swiftly in a bipartisan manner to get this done. i urge my colleagues to act now. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady yields back. for what purpose does the gentleman from indiana seek recognition? >> address the house for one inute. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. the gentleman is recognized. >> the supreme court made a decision that threatens the right to vote for millions of americans. with this misguided decision, leaders in states with a history of discrimination can proceed unimpeded with plans to obstruct the civil rights of american citizens through voter i.d. laws like in my home state of indiana, efforts are being made to restrict voting rights of minorities, low-income families and seniors. mr. speaker, i stand today to

ask my colleagues in congress to recognize the importance of preserving the right to vote for all of americans regardless of background. as elected representatives, we understand better than anyone that an open, equitable process is the very foundation and definition of our democracy. mr. speaker, the supreme court called on congress to act for the good of our country and our constituents. we must act boldly and quickly. i yield back my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. for what purpose does the gentleman from arizona seek recognition? >> ask unanimous consent -- the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from georgia. , i lewis: mr. speaker, i ask beg of all of our colleagues, democrats and republicans, to

come together and save the voting rights act of 1965. i wish somehow in some way that members of the united states supreme court can come and walk in my shoes, come and walk in my shoes. i have seen hundreds and thousands of people stand in a moveable line. the number of jelly beans in a jar, asked them to count them. i have seen too many of my brothers and sisters denied the right to register, denied the right to vote. all because of the color of their skin. we have come too far and made too much progress, mr. speaker, and we cannot go back. the vote is precious. t's almost sacred and most powerful nonviolent tool we have in a democratic society.

no one, but no one, african-american, latino, asian american, should be denied to participate in the democratic process. let's come together and do what we should do. i yield back, mr. speaker. the chair: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. for what purpose does the gentleman from arizona seek recognition? >> i ask unanimous consent to address the house. the chair: without objection. the gentleman is recognized for one minute. mr. barber: i'm deeply discouraged as we face the doubling of interest rates for student loans that house leadership will send us home tomorrow without a solution. more than seven million students, former students and their families in the united states, including more than 450,000 in my home state of arizona, rely on these loans to

help pay for college. federal student loans are a critical tool for ensuring the educational opportunities remain open to as many americans as possible. higher education is a critical economic engine for my state and the nation. workers 25 and older with a bachelor's degree earn 63% than th a high school difficult plomea. the world economy becomes more technologically advanced. i urge my colleagues to stay here and not go home but to stay here and work together to prevent student loan interest rates from doubling in four days. d-day is july 1 and we must act now to support the aspiring young americans to get their college education. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back the

balance of his time. for what purpose does the gentleman from michigan rise? >> ask unanimous consent to address the house. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. the gentleman is recognized for one minute. >> i appreciate the opportunity today to do a little bragging, baldwin street middle school who came to visit me today from hudsonville, michigan and they came to brag about their excellence and success as being designated a school to watch. that's a national program that goes in and identifies middle schools around the country who are very focused on innovation and success, but also improvement, every single day, they are going into that building as administrators and as teachers to improve not only the students, but themselves. and i think that is what we need more of here in education in the united states. they were proud to know that i had a staff member, nate bolt, who was an alumni of that middle school. they were proud to see him and the success he has been able to have. i want to congratulate baldwin

street middle school in hudsonville, michigan, for their dedication of the students in the second district and willingness to put students and innovation above any of themselves as they serve our community. thank you, and i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman rom arizona -- nevada seek recognition? >> ask unanimous consent to address the house for one minute. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. the gentleman is recognized for one minute. mr. horsford: thank you, mr. speaker. and it's good to see the freshman class president from the other side at the speaker's podium this evening. mr. speaker, on tuesday, the supreme court struck down critical parts of the voting rights act and i like my colleagues, am deeply disappointed in this decision. justice scalia said the voting rights act is quote a racial entitlement. well, voting is not an

entitlement. it is not a racial entitlement. it is a right for every eligible voting-age citizen. it is an american entitlement. voting suppression tactics have become more sophisticated but not disappeared. the act blocked more than 1,000 voting law changes between 1982 and 2006. and last year alone, the voting rights act stopped a voter i.d. law in texas and a florida law that eliminated early voting days. now it has fallen to congress to safeguard our most sacred right and i will work with anyone in either party to protect this fundamental right. i urge this body to work together to fix the voting rights act and i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. for what purpose does the gentlelady from alabama seek recognition? >> i ask unanimous consent consent to address the house.

ms. sewell: i join with my colleagues in expressing my deep disappointment in the supreme court's decision on the voting rights act. i stand just not as a member of congress but a member of congress that represents selma, alabama. not only a member that represents alabama, but also a member and a native of selma. i can tell you that as i think thinkthe pettis bridge, i about john lewis and so many foot soldiers that dedicated their lives for the right to vote. i know i wouldn't be able to stand in this well had it not been for this fight. i implore my colleagues, we as elected officials cannot afford protect the right to vote. it is a right to vote. and the only way that we, with dignity, can continue as elected officials is if we protect each

and every person's right to vote in america. so i implore us to work together to figure out a coverage formula that will work. i urge all of us to remember what it's like to see john lewis in this well. john lewis is the face of voting rights in america. i ask us to work together to figure out a formula to protect the right to vote. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady yields back. for what purpose does the gentleman from louisiana seek recognition? >> address the house for one minute. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. the gentleman is recognized for one minute. thank you, mr. speaker. there is a committee in congress that's investigating these reports and how it would either potentially break the law or clearly violate ethics laws. in addition to that, now we're

seeing reports that the obama administration is pressuring the nfl and the nba to go and promote their health care law. mr. scalise: it is unethical for the obama administration to pressure organizations that they regulate to try to promote their policies. and so if secretary sebelius or any other federal administrator is using their power and their regulatory structure to go and pressure organizations, to promote their policies, they need to stop it right now, mr. speaker. and we need to continue our investigates -- investigations into any type of overreach opportunities. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentlelady from new hampshire seek recognition? without objection, the gentlelady is recognized for one minute. >> thank you. education is the key to prosperity in this country. families know that. that's why they save up for college for their students.

but the cost of college has become so expensive that they've had to borrow money. now, the interest rates are absolutely ridiculous, but they're about to get even worse on july 1 because congress has not acted. families across our country and in my state of new hampshire are depending on congress to fix this problem. we cannot allow these rates to double, these families cannot afford that. i am calling on congress to stay here until we settle this. to think about those families across this country and put off that vacation, stay right here and work it out. thank you and i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady yields back. for what purpose does the gentleman from texas seek recognition? without objection, the gentleman is recognized for one minute. mr. gohmert: thank you, mr. speaker. my friends across the aisle obviously concerned about the voting rights act, section 4

being instruct down. -- struck down. we debated the extension of the voting rights act in judiciary and i have great respect for then chairman john conyers and as i mentioned to him privately as well, there's no way it's going to avoid being violative of equal protection when you ed in as was determine 2009, five of the six original states that now have less racial disparity than the rest of the country and the worst racial disparity is in massachusetts. you can't just cram a punishment down on states just because you have a majority when great work has been done by the voting rights act. it has done a good thing and it was time for a new formula so we could capture the states that showed such racial disparity. so i look forward to my friend's -- working with my friends

across the aisle to subjecting massachusetts and any other violators -- i know there aren't any others that bad, but to section 5 and i'm sure we can get that done. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. for what purpose does the gentleman from missouri seek recognition? without objection, the gentleman is recognized for one minute. >> mr. speaker, my first baby-sitter was the rev rands noah albert cleaver, my great-grandfather. mr. cleaver: he took care of me every day after preschool. my older sister and me. he lived to be 103 years old. i was in college when he died. my grandpa, born in cherokee county, texas, died in ellis county, texas, never voted. not one time in 103 years because they had to pay $3.50 in a poll tax. when the supreme court ruled on tuesday saying that because of progress we don't need the

voting rights anymore, it's like having a cruiseship requiring that everyone wear some kind of life vest. the ship goes down, everybody is safe and they say, well, because everybody was safe, we don't need life vests anymore. it was the life vests that saved them. it was the voting rights act that caused the voter participation to rise. i will not insult the death and life of my great-grandpa by not being as active as i can to reinstitute the voting rights act, section 4. thank you, mr. speaker. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. for what purpose does the gentlelady from florida seek recognition? ms. brown: i would like to address the house and revise and extend my remarks. the speaker pro tempore: ok, without objection, the gentlelady is recognized for one minute. ms. brown: thank you, mr. speaker. and members of the house, and i want to thank my colleagues for coming to the floor to discuss what i think is one of the most

activist court decisions in probably in my lifetime. when i was elected to congress in 1992 it was the first time an african-american won an election in florida in 129 years in this body. 129 years. and i can't stand in this body and not think about what happened in the 2000 election when we had a cue deat that in this country, when 27,000 voters from my district, seven, eight, nine and 10, ballots was not counted and was thrown out because of poor equipment. and let's don't talk about what happened four years later when jeb bush paid $4 million to a company that took all of the people off of the ballot that was not even -- and in this

recent election, when this latest governor, what did he do? they did away with sunday voting because african-americans and others vote on sunday. so, our work is cut out for us. the legislature for the first time put together a program that clearly lays out what we need to do to move forward and so i urge my colleagues to move forward in making sure that we reinstate the voting rights act. section 4. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady yields back the balance of her time. for what purpose does the gentleman from maryland seek recognition? without objection, the gentleman . recognized for one minute mr. cummings: thank you, mr. speaker. it is with great sadness that i stand here today to talk about one of the most effective safeguards to americans' fundamental right to vote. the court's decision ignores the current reality that voter

suppression is alive and well in the united states. we saw indisputable evidence of its presence just last year. we saw attempts to implement discriminatory and unnecessary voter i.d. laws. we saw attempts to shorten early vote periods that have had a significant impact on minority voters. the ball is now in congress' court. the senate judiciary committee is already taking action to restore essential protections for minority voters. and i call on speaker bainer to exercise true leadership in the house -- boehner to exercise true leadership in the house. ladies and gentlemen, this is our watch and we must guard our rights for ourselves and for generations yet unborn. we must act swiftly and decisively in a bipartisan manner as we did in 2006, to create a new formula, to ensure that the voting rights act continues to be a powerful tool to protect voters from description and with that i -- discrimination and with that i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. the chair will recognize members

for special order speeches without prejudice to the possible resumption of legislative business. under the speaker's announced the of january 3, 2013, gentleman from maryland, mr. hoyer, is recognized for 60 minutes as the designee of the minority leader. mr. hoyer: thank you, mr. speaker. appreciate the recognition, mr. speaker. i ask unanimous consent that all members may have five legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on the subject of my special order. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. so ordered. mr. hoyer: thank you, mr. speaker. mr. speaker, i am pleased to rise tonight to honor and to lead a special order, but to honor a great american, a great colleague and a great legislator whose service to this country

and to this institution have been unman ofed -- unmatched. it is appropriate that we rise tonight, appropriate particularly in light of the action that was taken and has been discussed today on the voting rights act. thatpeaker, let me observe the gentleman from texas said something about cramming down throat, -- somebody's the voting rights act. i will remind my colleagues that was passed 388-23 in this house and 98-0 in the senate in 2006. let me say we honor a man tonight who not only voted for the voting rights act in 1965 but has voted for every re-authorization of that act

since that time. john dingell came to congress as a member in 1955. winning a special election to fill the seat held by his father , john dingell sr. who himself served from 1933 to 1955. john dingell and his father have represented the people of southeastern michigan in this .ouse for eight decades what an extraordinary testimony. to the faith of their voters and the con stansy and loyalty of their representation. but very frankly, ladies and gentlemen, john's story in congress actually began earlier, in 19 -- than 1955. , which began in 1938

is to say, john dingell, a year before i was born. and i'm one of the older members. he came here as a young house page and we don't have pages anymore, but nearly all of us remember seeing the pages. wide-eyed, sitting along the desk up front, sitting in the back, listening to speeches and watching floor proceedings as they waited to carry messages. that was john dingell 3/4 of a century ago. the house of representatives has been part of his life and he has een part of it for 75 years. on december 8, 1941, a day that will live in infamy, 15-year-old john dingell was in this chasme ber -- chamber as president franklin roosevelt stood at the

ross trum -- lot of rum and asked congress to declare war against japan. whose forces had just attacked pearl harbor. on that day to which he referred as a day of infamy. president roosevelt spoke these timeless words and i quote, with the unbounded determination of r people, we will gain the inevitable triumph. throughout his time in this house, as a page, as a son of a congressman, as a member himself, as a committee chairman and as a leader on issues of national importance, john , who have taught us served with him, that america's triumph is only inevitable if we bring to bear the unbounded determination on which -- of which president roosevelt spoke.

in john dingell's record, 57 years and 188 days as a member of congress, he has approached our greatest challenges with his own unrivaled determination. in every congress for over a half a century, he continued his father's work of introducing -- introducing legislation, to expand health care coverage to all americans. even in the many years when no one thought it possible to do so. but john dingell stuck with it. he stuck with it and eventually had the opportunity to help shape and vote for the affordable care act which will extends to millions and millions of americans access to affordable, quality health care. millions of americans owe john dingell a debt of gratitude for his faithfulness in the advocacy

of their best interest. john in fact was presiding over this house when it enacted medicare in 1965. i told you he voted for the voting rights act in 1965 but he presided over the adoption of medicare and he helped write the endangered species act, the safe drinking water act and the 1990 clean air act, among many historic pieces of legislation that he has authored, fought for and seen adopted. but he's done more in this chamber than shepherd key legislation to passage. he's been an unwavering voice for the working families and small business owners, not just in southeastern michigan but all over america. he's been a giant in preserving the great american automobile industry and the millions of jobs that rely on it.

he's been a mentor and a friend to me and so many current and former members of the house. is lleagues, john dingell a living link to an era when bipartisan compromise was a practiced reality, not just a slogan, not just something we say we're going to do. but something that was actually done. members looked at john dingell for his quick wit, tenacious spirit, extraordinary knowledge of legislation, and of the history of this house and, yes, his warm heart. john love this is house and has always worked to preserve its collegiality and good order. his unrivaled skill as a legislator is matched by his sense of decency, his integrity, and his devotion to country. he has never lost that

determination that was sparked as f.d.r. called our nation to arms and to service. john dingell took up arms, he served in the united states army from 1944 to 1946. he was a second lieutenant who prepared to take part in the first wave of a planned invision -- invasion of japan. fortunately, that invasion did not occur. but john dingell, as always, was ready, willing, and able. john dingell, my colleagues, as all of you know, has served america and its people for most of his life. but it is in the the length of his service that we honor alone, it is even more importantly the quality of his service, the depth of his commitment, and the strength of his character that we honor tonight and john dingell that we honor always.

we're all better representatives because of his example. i congratulate my friend on 5 years -- on 75 years in the house of representatives. 57 of them as a member. john dingell has, with diligence, faithfulness, extraordinary skill and judgment, courage and fidelity to god and country, lived up to president roosevelt's words. he has served with unbounded determination and he has led a triumphant life. what an example for us all. a triumphant life, not because he won every fight but because he never gave up. he never was unfaithful to his oath of office. he was never unfaith to feel his pledge to support working men and women and yes,

everybody, in this country. my colleagues, john dingell oday is much-like -- is much like tennieson's ulice see, that which we are, we are. when equal temper of heroic heart, made weak by time and fate but strong in will to strive, seek, to find, and not to yield. john dingell. he pledged to his people when first elected, to strive, to seek, to find and not to yield. and he has indeed done all of those. he has kept the faith. and we expect him to be keeping the faith for years to come. for that is the spirit of my

friend, my colleague, a great legislator a great american,dingell of michigan. -- his time, mr. speaker, john dingell of michigan. at this time, mr. speaker, i yield to mr. barro. the speaker pro tempore: under the speaker's announced policy of january 3, 2013, the gentleman, mr. barro is recognized for the remainder of the hour as the designee of the minority leader. mr. barrow: i rise today to honor my friend, representative john dingell, who this month became the longest serving member of congress in our nation's history. representative dingell has taught literally thousands of members of congress how to do good things for the people we represent, a legacy he continues to build in his 30th term in the people's house. i've had the honor to serve

with mr. dingell on the house energy and commerce committee. as we all know, often our schedules don't allow us to stick around for an entire committee meeting. but i always make it a point until to the stay until mr. dingell is finish. he is such a skilled cross-examiner that by the time he's finished, we have heard the only questions that are worth asking and we've got the only answers we're ever likely to get. john dingell's ability to reach across the aisle and find compromise is the cure to what ails this place and i only hope that thousands more will get the opportunity to learn if the master. i congratulate mr. dingell on this historic milestone and for his over 57 years of service to our country. at this time, mr. speaker, i'm pleased to yield to the gentleman from michigan, mr. levin.

mr. dingell. there are many aspects of life for could comment on, example, friendship. our families have known each ther well over 75 years, going back to the relationship between your father and some of my relatives. it's been a long time. and i could talk about the riendship between yourself and your wife debbie and our family for part of that time. i could also talk about your

accomplishments and there have been so many, i remember when i first came how we worked to clean up the rouge river. and without your efforts, i think today it would be more ike it was than it now is. we could talk about health care and your historical role. we could talk about broader issues of clean water and clean air. we could talk about your devotion to the auto industry of this country. would have happened all these years except for your dedication. and there are more accomplishments that i could talk about. but instead, let me just say a w words about what struck me

as you spoke a few weeks ago, was it, as we were celebrating your tenure. and you spoke at some length, the rumor is that debbie a few times said, cut it a bit shorter. reason ent on and the i think you did is what i want to speak about. you began to talk about your years here not in terms of the number of years but what you have seen about this institution. and i think all of us who were there were glad that you continued to talk. because you've been here 55 years as a member, and you've seen the changes, you've seen

how there was a greater sense of working together in this place. you saw and were a key part of sure differences and with you, sometimes sharp question -- questioning. but there was a greater feel of common purpose in this unparalleled institution. and you spoke of how we have lost some of it. so that's really what i wanted to focus on. because if anybody can speak about the need for all of us who work here and all of us who are members here, if there are -- if there's anybody who can

remind us of how the importance of this institution should determine how we relate to each other, it's john dingell. and i must confess as i listen to your words, i felt that there had been something lost and that you reminded us it was vital that we regain. and it's interest, you didn't really want to talk about anything else except your love for debbie. and this institution. so you in a sense are mr. institution. and your belief in it, your belief in our need to remind ourselves as to how we must try

to work together, how we must try relate, how we must try to take our basic principles and you really have them, but to use them not as a wall but as an opportunity to proceed. so we owe you a lot. your constituents owe you a lot, though you'll deny it. but all of us, i think, owe you immensely for the years you have served here, for your dedication, for your honesty, but for your reminding people in this institution why it was founded. in that sense, i think you are the exemplar of what sparked

this creation in its first place. keep going. keep reminding. and i hope we'll begin to follow better than we have. yield back. mr. barrow: i thank the gentleman. at this time i'm pleased to recognize the gentleman from exas, mr. green. mr. green: thank you, mr. speaker. members. i rise tonight to honor a man that i'm proud to call a good friend and mentor, john dingell. recently john became the longest serving member of the congress, serving for 57 years, five months and 26 days, surpassing the service record of the late nart robert c. byrd. he has a storied career in the

house of representatives and you'll hear a lot about that tonight and already have. 11 as served with presidents, congressional icons like speaker sam rayburn from texas, and had the opportunity to vote on landmark legislation like the 1964 civil rights act. he is the ultimate legislator for both michigan and for america. he's also played an integral part in ground breaking legislation like the creation of the med tear -- medicare program, the national environmental policy act, the enteenaged species act and the clean air act just to name a few. i always think of him as chairman, though. since 1996, i have been fortunate to serve on the house energy and commerce committee with john as our committee leader for much of that type. while most associate his leadership on the committee with his tenacious government watchdog activities, i saw a leader that did not fall victim to partisan politics that define the current house but instead epitomized what we are here to do, the people's

business. he's a true legislator, he's truly been an honor to serve with him and ler from him and most importantly to call him friend he has a partner in his wonderful wife debra. and a friend who, like my wife helen, allows us to serve our respective districts. i look forward to continuing our work together, john, and our friendship, an thank you, mr. speaker, and i yield back my time. >> thank you. i'm pleased to recognize the gentleman from massachusetts, mr. markey. mr. markey: i thank the gentleman from georgia for olding this special order. it is truly right and fitting that we honor this legislative giant, this man who represents everything that this institution

is all about. i have served with mr. dingell for 37 years on the energy and commerce committee. and it has been an honor every day. now i want to tell you two stories about mr. dingell. whenf them a few years ago the energy and commerce were made a part of a conference committee on something that was going to create something called farmer mac which was a new security that was going to be issued. and mr. dingell and i, we were had ppy that freddie mac been exempted and fannie mac had been exempted from securities

and exchange commission jurisdiction. we were not happy. and so i arrived a little bit late to this conference, which was an agriculture committee conference with the senate. and i arrive and i sat next to mr. dingell, i was at the time the chairman of the securities subcommittee, of the energy and commerce committee, and mr. dingell had been doing all the negotiating and he turned to me about a half an hour into the conference answered just wrote out a note and passed it over to me. and read the note and mr. dingell got up and left the room. nd so i continued to negotiate on mr. dingell's behalf and on the commerce committee's behalf and at the end of the day we won everything that we wanted for.

and farmer mac securities were going to be regulated by the securities and exchange commission. it wasn't going to be like freddie mac. wasn't going to be like fannie mac. and so at the end of the conference i just took the piece of paper, i crumbled it up and i threw it into the wastepaper basket and i walked out of the conference room. it was about an hour later, we were out here on the house floor and the chairman of the agriculture committee came over to me and he had the piece of paper that was crumbled and he had actually gone into the wastepaper basket to see what was on the note that mr. dingell had passed to me. nd here is what the note said. it said, mr. markey, we have

just won the first two out of three issues. with the agriculture committee. do not give an inch to them on the third issue. and we did not. and the chairman, he looked at me and he said, you commerce committee guys, you're not like the other people here in the house. and that was john dingell. it was an important issue, it was ensuring that the securities and exchange commission would in fact monitor the securities and by the way would we not have been better off all along than allowing these agencies to escape the scrutiny? which they deserved. and so that then brings me to the second little story. which is that the seven most feared words ever uttered in congress are words uttered by john dingell as a witness in

itting at the table, waiting for questioning. and those seven words are, those feared words are -- i am just a poor polish lawyer. that is the beginning of a very bad day for a witness. as mr. dingell asks for explanations on detailed questions without any mercy showed to an unprepared witness. so for me it's an honor to be here to honor john dingell, who is still at the top of his game, still able to perform those same types of cross examinations of witnesses as they tremble, knowing that this legislative giant is about to cross examine. and so i thank him for his service.

i thank the wonderful debby for giving him to us, for his service here. and i thank him for the honor of being able to serve on that committee for 37 years. with a legislative legend who will go down in history. and all i can tell you is, one of the first things he wants you to know when you got on that committee was that there was a map of the entire world, the globe, over his head and he just wanted us to know as we got on the committee that that was the jurisdiction of the committee. the entire planet. and that is how he acted as that giant over all those years. it was an honor to have served with you. i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the chair will receive a message. the messenger: mr. speaker, a

message from the senate. the secretary: mr. speaker. the speaker pro tempore: madam secretary. the secretary: i have been directed by the senate to inform the house that the senate has agreed to s.con.res. 19, providing for a conditional adjournment or recess of the senate in an adjournment of the house of representatives in which the concurrence of the house is requested. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from georgia may resume. mr. barrow: thank you, mr. speaker. i want to thank the gentleman from massachusetts and ongratulate him on the re-atfication. to which i can add that the next most feared seven words you the -- uttered, please answer the question, yes or no. at this time i'm pleased to recognize the gentleman from new york, mr. tonko. mr. tonko: thank you very much. thank you, mr. speaker. thank you to the gentleman from the great state of georgia. it's an honor to lends my voice to that of several of my

colleagues as we pay tribute to representative john dingell from the great state of michigan. i am only in my third term in the house of representatives. so i can't profess to have known john dingell for that great a time compared to most of my colleagues. who have known this great gentleman for quite some time. but as anyone serving in this house soon learns, it doesn't take very much time to know john dingell, to assess the greatness of this individual. one who carries himself with great humility, which i believe is his hallmark of representation. , identity with common folk our many conversations about the richness of the polish culture and the embarking upon the

american dream of immigrants of that persuasion and of all persuasions who have teggettered that dream for the betterment and empowerment of their individual and family opportunities is i think what drives this individual, his motivation to be a public servant is obvious. it's documented. well documented by his years of service, his many years of service, 57 in this house, and dating back to 1938 as a page in this house. his service to this nation through the military, all of that driven, i believe, by the great deep-rooted sense of opportunity that is borne by this nation to many of those immigrants who traveled here and then developed that dream through generations to follow. john dingell is a person of an tness, a person who is constitution -- institutional member of this house, one whose institutional memory with so many issues in this house is

called upon time and time again. as a recently appointed member to the energy and commercial committee, i marvel -- commerce committee, i marvel at the sense in his ement he has recall on the development of so many bills. bills that speak to the protection of our environment, making certain that the air we breathe, the water we drink, the soil that we cultivate is there for us for a better future. that resulted from john dingell's passion, his involvement in making certain that the auto industry was not only saved but made stronger, great commitment by john dingell. his incorps ration of the many -- his incorporation of many acts of concern and compassion for those who require access and affordability to quality health care, well documented again, driven by the roots established by his dad, that enabled him to bang that gavel when we were

passing the affordable care act in twern. -- 2010. so many, many stories in just the short time that i learned from this gentleman that empower me. his direction, his instruction, his quern, his guidance, his encouragements and his praise of any of us routinely done by this very, very generous man. strengthens us and gives us that motivation to go forward. and what he has always taught us, what he has said to me repeatedly, your word is your honor in this business. i can't help but think what the house would be like if we were filled with john dingells. where there was respect for your colleagues, where there was drive and passion to make a difference for america's great many working families, where there was a sense of honor and respect for this work and where there was this attachment to the

american dream that ennobles and empowers this arena. he has taught us the nobility with the small end of the art and science of politics. he will forever be the measuring stick of quality service and representation. the consummate representative, john dingell. john, it's an honor to serve with you. i wish you well as you continue to mr. upon your legacy and -- to build upon your legacy and thank you and debby for being such a well-respected, much-loved couple in this town, our nation's capitol, washington, d.c. god bless you, my friend with that -- my friend. with that i yield back. mr. barrow: i thank the gentleman for participating in this evening's special order. at this time, mr. speaker, i'm very pleased to yield to the gentleman from michigan, mr. ildee. mr. kildee: thank you for yielding and let me just say

that while we are obviously here to give honor and recognize the service of mr. dingell, to honor it's a least from where i stand, the honor is all mine, to be able to participate in this moment, mr. speaker. i grew up in michigan. i was born in 1958. three years after mr. dingell began his service in this body. and i grew up in michigan politics and if you come from michigan and if you're interested in politics or government, you know a lot about john dinging. his name -- dingell. had his name is really so none news to mousse not only with government and politics but is synonymous with all the good that comes with service in government. we hear so much these days of course about the public's we do of the work that and often the cynical nature of public opinion when it comes to government. well, john really represents all the best in public service and

has been a role model for so many people like me who have had a chance to observe him and watch and learn from the great example that he sets. he, after 21 years in this body, was joined by my uncle who was elected, dale kildee, my predecessor, who was elected to serve in the congress in 1976. and for 36 years the two served together. so while i knew of mr. dingell as an observer of politics, as a young man, as he and my uncle served together so closely and so well, i felt like in many ways john became a part and we became a part of his extended family and i've often felt that john and debby are so close that i can always rely and count on them for counsel and advice and for friendship, that it does

feel very much like family. for the whole time during that period that i knew john, i didn't call him john. i always called him mr. chairman or mr. dingell. i'll never forget the first day, on january 3, just six months ago, when i was sworn in to congress and i came over to shake his hand and i called him mr. chairman and he said, no, call me john. we are friends. i always look at john as a role model, an example of somebody who in a position of tremendous authority within this institution understood how to advance the interests of the ate of michigan by balancing the very important need to be a great and protective steward of the natural beauty and natural assets that makes michigan such a unique place that we both love so much but to also be able to keep and breathe life into the great capacity of the

work force and particularly of our great industry and particularly the automotive industry which was born in our state and which john has been such a careful advocate for and steward on behalf of and has seen some difficult times that have helped to to -- to steer that industry through tough times and we're now seeing it obviously have new life and new vitality. much of that, a great deal of that, is attributable directly to his perseverance and his willingness to take on a fight and see it through to the very end. there's no other issue more than health care that makes the clear of value of perseverance and the perseverance he had demonstrated for so many years, term in and term out, reintroducing in this body something that his father first brought to the congress and

that is, basic right of every american citizen to not ever have to go to bet at night worries about -- worrying about whether their health, their own health, would stand between them and the long-term viability of their own family. john was here not only to see that battle fought but see it brought to a successful conclusion. so six months ago, when i walked onto this floor and realized some -- a dream i had been contemplating for a very long time, to serve in what i think is still and always will be the greatest democratic body in the history of this planet, it was a great honor to become a member of congress but perhaps an even greater honor to be able to call john dingell a colleague, not just a friend, not just a mentor, not just somebody i had looked up to, but a person with whom i now serve.

i was elected to succeed my own uncle, i would like to think we have some things in common, mr. dingell, and one of the things is, you were elected to represent your district, to succeed your very own father. i think what you've demonstrated is you obviously have your first obligation to serve your nation, to serve the interests of the people that you represent, but also to do great service to the legacy of your predecessor. and i can only imagine what your father must think looking here and seing that not only have you taken up the mantle from him but have served so long but more importantly so ably in advancing the goals and the values that he embodied when he came here and that you were able to see them through to few igs. thank you so much for allowing me just a few minutes as a freshman with not a lot of old stories about the house but with great administration for

the man who has been here for so long. i yield back. mr. barrow: i thank the gentleman for his participation and i would note that he like our honoree exemplifies the truth in proverbs, the truth is rather to be chosen than great favor. at this point i'm pleased to recognize the gentlelady from maryland, ms. edwards. ms. edwards: i want to thank my colleague, mr. barro, for leading this special order. i am just so honored, really, to be here to celebrate and honor somebody i call a friend, john dingell. and i notice as we're talking here today and as so many have approached the podium that everyone who approaches says ohn dingell, my friend, my colleague, my mentor, someone i

rook up to, someone i respect, and i'd just like to say to my good friend from michigan that i can't really change those words because they echo my own sentiments. i want to share with you and so many of us talked about the long legislative legacy of john dingell and as i sat here, mr. dingell, i thought, well, i too, when you came into congress, i had not been born yet, it was about three years before i entered the world, you took that courageous vote in support of the voting rights act, i was 6 years old. i recall at the time living here in the washington metropolitan area that my father and mother used to bring us to this capitol almost every sunday after church. they'd bring us, we'd run up

and down the east front of the capitol, we'd picnic on the west front of the capitol. and i'm thinking today how wonderful it is to know that there was someone who was in this institution, who so valued this institution, and who even as a 6-year-old john dingell was working to protect my rights and when i think about that, mr. dingell, i think of all the members who lined up even before we began this special order an talked about the need to work in a bipartisan way, to make sure that we create a formula for the voting rights act that the supreme court would support, that institutes and puts into place the formula for the way that we protect our voting rights in section 5 of the voting rights act. and almost to a one, including

john lewis, none of us would be here had you not had the courage to take that vote in 1964. and so, it's such an honor to serve with you and to know that while that may have been the battle in 1964, that you are fully prepared to engage in the battle here in 2013. and what an honor that we all have the great privilege of being able to serve with john dingell. so you know, i almost think, and mr. kildee mentioned this, but i almost think there's hardly anything that impacts our modern day laws that we can't attribute to the great hard work and public service ofon dingell. the fact that i got up this morning and turned on a faucet and ran a glass of water and

was able to drink it and know that it was clean was about john dingell. that i walked outside today and even on a stuffy day like this knew i could breathe air that was ok, we still have work to do, mr. dingell, but to know that that clean air, and the cleaner we make our air is attributed to john dingell. i think back to my grandmother who came to live with us at a point as she was aging and it was actually just prior to the passage of medicare and how different families' lives are now because of the protections that they have for health care as they age and become -- or are disabled. those things are attributable to the great work, the legislative legacy and the service of john dingell. and so here we are today and when i first came into congress

i came in a different kind of way, and one day, john dingell pulled me aside in the cloakroom and he said come sit down, i want to talk to you, i want to get to know you. i was frankly afraid of him. i knew his history, i had watched several energy and commerce hearings and i had no idea -- i knew that he was a great friend of my predecessor. a great friend of my predecessor. and so i sat down and i talked to him and what i gained from of dingell was the kind honor and dedication that he has and reverence that he has for this institution. and it is unlike any that we e and we learn from that and

so we talk and we became friends. and then a funny thing happened, barack obama was elected president of the united tates, and an inauguration was coming forward, and again another reminder that john dingell's 57 years of service are about this amazing legislative work but it's also about the people of his district. the children, women, men, families, of his district. and there was a high school in his district, actually i'm not quite sure it was still in his district but at one time he had represented that high school and they had gotten the great gift of being able to play in the inaugural parade for president obama. and somehow or other, things got confused and they were staying in a hotel that was many, many miles, a couple of hours away from washington, d.c. and they would have had to get

up at, you know, 2:00 or 3:00 in the morning to get to the staging area on time. and i represent a district just outside of washington, d.c., in maryland. and john dingell reached out to me and he asked, you know, he told me this story and i said, well, maybe we can figure out something. so we found a high school out in prince georges county, maryland, and a parent-teacher organization and the students and they welcomed these students from michigan that they didn't know at all into their high school. they fed them pizza and sew -- sodas and everything. so the students were able to actually get to the inaugural parade on time. and john dingell and i have been, you know, locked at the hand and the hip ever since. those students were so grateful to him and what i saw in this great legislator is that the people of his district really did come first.

and he looked out for them and they knew that he looked out for them and like i said, i don't know whether he still represented them or not, i suppose over that 5 years, the way lines get drawn, sot some point or other he did and he didn't an he did an he didn't. but whatever, he thought of them as his constituents and they thought of him as their member of congress and i thought that that is the kind of member of congress that i want to be. and i think there are so many of us who serve in this institution who really do value it and who listen to -- who listened, who really listened to the message john dingell gave us about the need to work together and to preserve and protect our democracy by working in a kind of way that gives value and service to all of our communities and to this great nation. and so for that, i want to thank john dingell for being

such an important part of this institution, an important part of the way i've learned to become a member of congress. and i want to say just finally, on health care, when i came to the congress, i had had an experience of not having had health care and getting very sick and going to an emergency room and having a lot of bills that i couldn't pay because i didn't have health insurance. and when we gaveled in that health care bill, the affordable care act, it was john dingell sitting as speaker pro tem who gaveled in the affordable care act with the gavel he used for medicare and then during the course of that debate, i helped to gavel in the debate on health care and there was one moment that john dingell was speaking on the floor about his father's

experience and about his experience working on health care and i was sitting in as speaker pro tem and mr. dingell, i will never forget that picture because for me it was what we do as legislators, but it also felt very personal and it felt so wonderful to know that in your service, you never stopped, not a single day of the 5 years, to make sure that millions of americans like me could have health care that was quality and that it was affordable and that it was accessible. and so i thank you so much for your service and i am so honored to serve with you. with that, i yield back. mr. barrow: i thank the gentlelady and i'm pleased to recognize the gentlelady from new hampshire, ms. shea-porter. ms. shea-porter: i would like to add my voice to the others

speaking about this wonderful man, john dingell who is quite embarrassed as we talk about him, because he has a great deal of humility which is unusual here. when i first won election in 2006 and i came in early 2007, i knew about john dingell. i taught politics and history and i knew his history as a legislator. i knew a lot about him. what i didn't know about him is what i want to talk about. you hear him call him friend, because he has a gift for friendship. he uses the words, my friend, and you believe him. he has a gift for friendship. he said sit down here, my friend and i sat down and talked to the great john dingell and asked me of him telling me about him. i was overwhelmed at the idea