supreme leader about resolving this significant problem it has with the international community? two, i would simply say that as i mentioned earlier that the most important thing here is whether or not we can make progress on the substantive talks. the president was open to an formal encounter but even if something like that had happened -- >> you can see all of the white house briefing at c-span.org. we go live to the house, coming back in to debate four bills, including one dealing with the national helium reserve. ction u 20. record votes will be postponed. questions will be taken later. for what purpose does the gentleman from wisconsin seek recognition?

mr. petri: i move to suspend the rules and pass h.r. 961. the speaker pro tempore: the clerk will report the title of the bill. the clerk: h.r. 1961, a bill to amend title 46, united states code to extend the exemption from the fire retardant materials requirement for vessels operating wiin the boundary line. the speaker pro tempore: pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from wisconsin, mr. petri and the gentleman from maryland, mr. coupling -- cummings, each will control 20 minutes. mr. petri: i ask that members may have five legislative days to include extraneous material on h.r. 1961 the speaker pro tempore: without objection. mr. petri: i yield myself such time as i may consume. the gentleman is recognized. mr. petri: h.r. 1961 renews the exemption for the delta queen from certain coast guard requirements adopted decades after the vessel was bill. the delta queen is a

paddle-wheel river boat and was built in 1926. it operated in california until 1947, then carried tourists up and down the mississippi and ohio rivers for more than 60 years. 40 years after the vessel was built, congress set new rules prohibiting wooden ships from carrying 50 or more overnight passengers. the vessel has a steel hull, but a wooden superstructure. between 1968 and 2008, the delta queen operated under an exemption from the restrictions and wooden passenger vessels, hich was renewed nine times by congress. h.r. 1961 reinstates the delta queen exemption. the vessel will still be subject to all other coast guard passenger vessels safety requirements. it must undergo required inspections and receive a certificate of inspection like

any other passenger vessel. i commend my colleague, steve chabot and the bill's bipartisan co-sponsors for introducing this bill. permitting the delta queen to return to the river estimated to create 170 jobs and produce economic activity of $9.3 million annually. the bill before us was reported favorably from the transportation committee on a voice vote. i urge my colleagues to support this bill and allow this historic vessel to return to the river and reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves the balance of his time. the gentleman from georgia -- from maryland is recognized. mr. cummings: thank you very much, mr. speaker. mr. speaker, i yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. cummings: i was the chairman of the coast guard and maritime transportation subcommittee in 2008 when congress last rejected

the measure before us today. and there has been no change in the intervening years that would now make this measure good policy. h.r. 1961 is a bill that would amend federal law for the benefit of one single vessel, the delta queen. as such, i think we should call this bill what it really is, it's an earmark. let me say it again, it's an earmark. and what would this earmark do? it would create a potential fire trap on the water. in 1936, the united states required all passenger vessels to be constructed of fire retardant materials sm the delta queen was built in 1926 and part of its construction occurred in europe. its superstructure is wooden and not flame retardant. exempting the delta queen from current fire safety standards would present an unacceptable and frankly, unnecessary risk to

passenger safety. when this issue was last considered, the coast guard stated the following. combustible construction of the vessel presents an unacceptable fire risk that cannot be mitigated by the addition of fire-suppression measures, unquote. just yesterday, i talked to the rear admiral, the coast guard's assistant commandant. he oversees vessels' inspections and made it clear to me that the coast guard continues to oppose this waiver and he also made it clear that a number of safety concerns may persist from the coast guard's 2008 special inspection of the delta queen. and frankly, the exemption this legislation seeks to make is not needed for the delta queen to operate on the mississippi if it wanted to do so. let me say that again, the delta

queen does not need the exemption that would be provided by this bill to operate in u.s. waters. the delta queen could take passengers on day cruises and host up to 49 overnight passengers right now. but on the current law, it cannot hold 50 or more overnight passengers. the only thing the exemption in h.r. 1961 would do is increase the number of overnight passengers the delta queen could carry along our nation's waterways increasing the number of passengers who would be at risk should a fire break out on the boat. what else would this earmark do? this earmark would interfere in a competitive market to pick winners and losers by giving an advantage to one vessel, something i thought my friends on the other side of the aisle said congress should not be in the business of doing. today, the queen of the

mississippi, a boat built in 2012 in the united states, in compliance with all applicable safety standards is operating on the mississippi river system. and another boat that will comply with current safety standards is under construction here in the united states. but if h.r. 1961 were to pass, these american-built boats, safety-compliant vessels would have to compete with a vessel that would not have to meet the same safety standards required of all other vessels. so not only would the earmark before us create an unsafe situation, it would create an unfair situation. rather than creating an unnecessary safety hazard and rather than picking winners and losers, i urge my colleagues to reject this earmark and i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves the balance

of his time. the gentleman from wisconsin is recognized. mr. petri: i yield such time as he may consume to our colleague, steve chabot. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. chabot: i rise today in very strong support of h.r. 1961, legislation that my colleagues and i introduced to save the delta queen steamboat. and i thank the gentleman from missouri, st. louis, in particular. my democratic colleague, laci clay, for his leadership on this particular issue. this legislation is basically one line. it doesn't cost a penny. and it is two very important functions. it preserves an important piece of american history and it supports american jobs. mr. speaker, h.r. 1961 reinstates the delta queen's grandfathered status, not an earmark, the grandfathered

status from a law that prohibits wooden boats, which the delta queen is, the superstructure is, the hull is steel, from carrying overnight passengers. the delta queen is capable of carrying up to 176 passengers overnight and under the law as it currently exists, 50 is the cutoff point. congress granted the delta queen a reprieve from this law for the last 40 years. for 40 years, the united states congress granted this exemption. it did so because she was constructed before the law was in place and because the law was intended for boats at sea, not riverboats. boats, ocean-going vessels at sea. it was never intended for river -farring boats like the delta queen. the queen's grandfathered status

was uninterrupted for 40 years until management concerns stalled a continuation back in 2008. since congress revoked its ability to operate, the boat has been chained to a dock. discord and disagreement won that day, but today hopefully it will be different. we have a coalition of support, democrats and republicans that worked together on this issue and passed by voice vote, with no votes against it in the transportation committee. maybe most importantly, the boat's new management and union are working together to return this vessel and the job she provides to full operation. so this is a situation where management and the union are not fighting. they may have been back in 2008. they're not now. they're together on this. they're both requesting that we pass this particular legislation today so that the delta queen

can once again go on the mississippi and ohio and bring jobs to communities up and down those rivers. with all of the gridlock in washington, this bill is a welcomed show of bipartisan for a change. this is a bipartisan bill. it is supported by the sea fahrers' international union and american maritime officers and by the national trust for historic preservation, for example. it's co-sponsored by a diverse list of republicans and democrats, including the ohio -- the entire ohio delegation, including my colleague and i thank him for his leadership on issue, the 2nd district. he has been a leader on this as congressman massie across the river as well and congressman

laci clay from missouri and many other members. it has the support of transportation committee chairman shuster on the republican side and ranking member rahall. and i would like to read a quote mr. rahall, the ranking member was unable to be here. he is driving here and will be here for votes, but couldn't make the debate. this is what he said back in the transportation committee and i'm quoting from his testimony. i'm in favor of present serving an icon of our american heritage, the delta queen. in light of the support that seafarers andfrom his means good-paying jobs and americaa would be restored to service, i support the pending legislation. that's the bill we are dealing with here today. and in the past, this effort was even co-sponsored by two men who

rarely see eye-to-eye, senator mitch mcconnell and then senator barack obama. both of them supported this back in 2008. i owe thanks to every co-sponsor. and i owe special thanks to mr. chay from st. louis, without whose help this wouldn't be possible today. to my colleagues who have raised issues about the vessel's safety, i hear you. safety must always be a top priority. let's discuss it. this vessel is equipped with a fully automated detection system sensors to er 300 detect heat and smoke. round-the art and clock watchmen patroling the vessel. and should be noted that the original legislation from 196

and i mentioned this before, was intended for ocean-going vessels. that's why it was called the safety at seas act, not safety on the river act. the delta queen is never more than a mile from shore and can be landed and evacuated in minutes if need be. fortunately, that's never been necessary with the delta queen. 80 years in travel and 60 on the rivers of mississippi and ohio. ocean-going vessels, we are talking about vessels that are hundreds of miles, perhaps even 1,000 miles from land. in this case we are talking never more than one mile. that's why the delta queen was different and only river vessel that this applied to because of its size and the fact that it could take more than 50 passengers. hat was the problem. to clear any misunderstanding, the legislation does not relieve

the boat managers of their responsibility to deal with safety issues. in order to obtain a certificate of inspection from the coast guard, the vessel will have to address united states coast guard concerns. the managers already have a detailed list of things they know will have to be upgraded, which includes replacing the vessel's boilers and fully automated welded boilers and steamlines. the concern back in 2008, these are all going to be taken care of and should be and otherwise, we wouldn't be supportive of this bill. this bill does not issue a green light. this bill unlocks the private resources necessary to make this multi-million-dollar restoration effort possible. at the end of the day, if the boat doesn't satisfy the coast guard, they don't get a c.o.i. and they don't sail.

they don't paddle. they don't move. they don't travel at all. while objections on the ground for safety are reasonable, i feel that safety may be a convenient argument, but not a justified argument. . let me say that the delta queen is beloved by many. including many cincinnatians, who have watched her for years, unloading passengers at dawn and heading out with a new group of people at dusk. i think many of us would like to give her that opportunity. up and down the mississippi and the ohio. and again it means jobs for people in many of these communities. i ask my colleagues to join us in supporting this bill for two principle reasons, jobs and american history. members can support this by voting in favor of 1961 and i would yield back to the gentleman. the speaker pro tempore: the

gentleman yields back. the gentleman from maryland is recognized. mr. cummings: mr. speaker, my good friend talked about safety and safety systems. it's my understanding that the vessle has fire suppression systems installed in the nonpublic spaces. they have not installed fire suppression systems in the public spaces. that's like the state room and dining rooms, because they would have to alter the historic fabric of the vessle to do so. this would violate requirements and presents a safety liability. the mention of trained fire fighting crew and round-the-clock watches is not unique. in fact, all vessles must have such crews and maintain such watches. with that, mr. speaker, i yield four minutes to the distinguished subcommittee chairman, martime and transportation subcommittee, of the transportation committee, mr. amodei. -- mr. garamendi.

mr. garamendi: thank you very much. mr. speaker. we heard our colleague who was supporting this bill talking about american history. that this is an icon of american history. in fact, it was the american history that created the law that quires all vessles has more than 50 people to actually be fire-safe. it is, sir, american history that is put in -- that has put in place the law that you're trying to waive. that history is one of disaster after disaster, in which thousands of people have lost their lives in boats that were not safe. that were made of wood. i happen to know the delta king, the exact twin of the delta queen. it's part on the sacramento river, not a half-mile from the capitol, i've been on it many, many times. it does overnight a few guests but it is a fire trap. and that's why it's not going up and down the sacramento river. and by the way, the law that you

said only applies to the sea applies to every river and every lake in the united states. it's not only ocean vessels. it's all vessels who have more than 50 people onboard overnight have to meet these requirements. we ought not do this. regular order was completely set aside to move this bill rapidly through the transportation committee. and by the way, there was opposition. and he's talking right now. opposition to a waiver of a fire safety law that is intended to rotect the public. yes the delta queen like the delta king is historic and like the delta king, the delta queen is a fire trap. would ought not be passing this law. and we ought to be following

regular orders and we ought to be listening to the coast guard that says, don't do this. don't do this. that's what the u.s. coast guard says. because it is not safe. now this boat can operate, it can operate with 179 people or more on day trips. can tie up to a warf and you can have 49 people onboard going up or down the river or even more they can go to a hotel as they have more many years. it's a still a viable operation. but under no circumstance should this body, 435 of us say, not to worry about fire safety. it's not going to be an issue. after all, somebody's watching 24 hours a day. as required on every vessel. and let's keep in mind that the fire suppression system that was mentioned by our colleague in support of this legislation does

not work and is not in the public spaces. the state rooms where people are sleeping, the dining rooms, the other rooms onboard will not have fire suppression, that is springler -- sprinkler systems. this boat will not be upgraded in a way that will make it safe. we simply ought not do this and, yes, you can guarantee that this side of the aisle is seriously concerned about jobs. and we're seriously concerned about the men and women that work on this boat. that they work in a fire-safe environment. this boat will not be a fire-safe environment. and so those men and women that we're concerned about having jobs ought to have jobs in a safe environment. they will not. very simply put, this is a bad piece of legislation. this is not about jobs. this is about saving lives. or in the case of this bill, about putting lives at risk.

is that what we want to do? i don't think so. i yield back my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from wisconsin is recognized. >> thank you, mr. speaker. just to make sure my record is clear, i'm informed by staff that the bill is noticed in regular order and no rules were waived concerning its regular consideration by the committee or in fact by the house. i yield 30 seconds to our colleague from ohio, mr. chabot. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. chabot: thank you, i'll be very brief. regulartive to the coast guard's issue, their principle issue is the boilers. we've always known that. the new owners are going to replace the boilers and the coast guard has to approve this. if the coast guard has any opposition all they have to do is not operate the certificate to operate the boat and it won't operate. so the coast guard has to be completely satisfied before it safely g goes out. and relative to sprinklers, it has a state-of-the-art sprinkler system. the safety issues i think are

red herrings, really. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from wisconsin is recognized. >> i yield such time as he may consume to our colleague from ohio, mr. went strup. for two -- wenstrup. for two minutes, excuse me. mr. wenstrup: i rise in support of h.r. 1961, which would allow america's iconic wooden paddle-wheeled steamboat, the delta queen, to return to traveling america's rivers. for over 60 years, the delta queen has traveled up and down america's waterways, carrying passengers, entertaining presidents and foreign dignitaries and even serving our troops in times of war. she is a true american treasure. however, due to safety, federal regulations implemented in the 1960's, wooden ships were banned from carry 50 or more passengers overnight. while this regulation was originally intended for ocean-going cruiseships, the delta queen, due to her size and structure, is a river boat that is unfairly trapped by this regulation. even though she is never more than a mile from shore. understanding the unique

situation of the delta queen and the fact that she was built and safely operating before this law was put in place, congress has granted her exemptions for the past 40 years from this regulation, allowing the steamboat to continue to safely carry passengers along america's waterways. however, since 2008, congress has failed to continue the delta queen exemption. as a result, the delta queen is currently in tennessee and is unable to fully provide the experiences and services that she was built for. today the delta queen is under new management and continues to undergo rigorous safety inspections and tests administered by the coast guard. she has operated safely for over 80 years. like many of my constituents, i find mem -- i have fond memories of the delta queen who has called cincinnati her home for 37 years. with the passage of h.r. 1961 we can return this historic landmark back to cincinnati, preserving america's cultural heritage, and bringing jobs and

economic growth to greater cincinnati area. i commend my colleague, steve chabot, for taking lead on this issue for cincinnati, and i urge my colleagues to support h.r. 1961 and i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. the gentleman from maryland is recognized. mr. cummings: mr. speaker, i yield two minutes to my distinguished colleague from connecticut, ms. delauro, and i ask unanimous consent that mr. garamendi be allowed to control the time. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. mr. cummings: thank you very much. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady from connecticut is recognized. ms. delauro: mr. speaker, i rise in opposition to the legislation before us. while the delta queen may be historic, exempting her from cruiseship fire safety law sets a terrible precedent and it puts families at risk. moreover, this bill is designed to help one ship in the passenger cruise market at the expense of all others. i understand the delta queen has

a long and distinguished -- distinguished history. since it was built in the 1920's, it carried three presidents, it is a national historic landmark, but that is all the more reason why fire safety law is important here. this is an old ship, made almost entirely of wood and powered by out-of-date technology. it has been in dry dock for the past four years and not inspected in five years. the queen's antic engines and steam boilers are prone -- antique engines and steam boilers are prone to cause a fire at any moment. the last fire onboard was in 2008. there's good reason why the u.s. coast guard opposes this legislation. the boat could pose a significant danger to families staying onboard overnight. you know, the issue about on the sea, on the river, people can die on the river as well as die on the sea. in addition to that, there is nothing in this legislation that

requires the owners to implement the safety upgrades. and you know, as my colleagues said and i would take issue with him on the other side of the aisle, safety is not a red herring. and even beyond the specific circumstances of the delta queen, i do not believe it is a wise policy for the congress to get into the habit of exempting businesses from basic safety regulations. nor should we be choosing through legislation which cruiseship companies have to follow the rules and which do not. there are many ways to recognize and to honor the delta queen's rich history on the mississippi river. this is not the right approach. as such, i urge my colleagues to oppose this legislation. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady's time has expired. the gentleman from wisconsin is recognized. >> i yield such time as he may consume to our colleague from kentucky, mr. whitfield. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from kentucky is ecognized.

mr. whitfield: i want to take this opportunity to thank those members who have decided to revisit this very important issue. i might remind everyone that the delta queen received an exemption from the safety of life at sea law and we recognize that that original law appliesed to ocean-going vessel -- applied to ocean-going vessels and since 1968 congress has always provided the exemption for the delta queen, except that it did not in the year 2008. since then the delta queen has been sitting down in chattanooga. the new owners are spending $10 million to put in new boilers. there's a sprinkler system, and as has already been indicated, the coast guard will make the final decision about the safety issues. but this is an issue of jobs. and i might say that the

unemployment rate in america over the last four years, in each of the last fow years, has been higher -- last four years, has been higher than in any year in the last 62 except for three years. so when communities like the one in kentucky that i happen to represent, the delta queen each year would land there, every month it would come by. people would get out. it was an economic boom to our area. we genuinely believe that this is a balanced approach, it protects the safety issues that people are concerned about. because of the $10 million being spent to refurbish this delta queen. and it provides additional employment for people looking for good jobs. so i would urge every member to support h.r. 1961, a commonsense, balanced approach paddleboat historic

back on the ohio river and the mississippi river and i would yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves. the gentleman from california is recognized. mr. garamendi: mr. speaker, may i inquire as to how much time i have available? the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman has nine minutes remaining. mr. garamendi: i yield three minutes to mr. clay. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from missouri is recognized. mr. clay: i thank my friend. and i rise today in support of h.r. 1961. this bipartisan legislation would reinstate the historic delta queen's grandfathered status from a law that prohibits wooden vessels from transporting overnight passengers. congress has granted the delta queen riverboat reprieve from

this law for the last 40 years, until management concerns prevented a continuation in 2008. that situation has been resolved and now the work of restoring this historic vessel is under way. h.r. 1961 is also supported by the national trust for historic preservation, the seafares international union and the american maritime officers association. mr. speaker, my colleagues and are truly committed to saving this one of a kind american treasure, the delta queen. i represent st. louis, and st. louis is a river town. the reason that my community was founded and grew into a great city was the mighty mississippi river. that river not only flows

beneath the magnificent gateway arch, it also flows in the hearts of every resident of st. louis and every american who has ever read "mark twain" or listened to jazz and pluses or wondered what it must have been like to go west with the pioneers as they pushed across the unknown frontier. the delta queen is more than an irreplaceable historic vessel, but also a symbol of the bold american spirit that had the courage to tame the continent and make us one nation from sea to shining sea. this great steamboat should continue to travel america's inland waterways. this is the right thing to do for the delta queen and right thing to do for futeter generations of americans and international visitors who deserve the chance to travel on

this magnificent vessel. i want to raise some concerns that i have heard today, two issues that i have heard over and over is one, the opponents of this bill have redefined the meaning of an earmark. when i started in this body, an related to ppropriations, not a waiver. >> i have a college degree from a small public college called the university of maryland. mr. clay: but under the u.s. marketplace i always thought competition was healthy.

now i'm hearing that this competes against other riverboats. i'm kind of concerned about that issue, too. and perhaps someone could address it or clarify for me. and with that, i urge my colleagues to support h.r. 1961 and i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from wisconsin is recognized. mr. petri: i yield to my colleague from state of entucky. mr. massie: i grew up in kentucky's 4th district and 276 miles of the ohio river and my memories are rich with the images of this great vessel going up and down the river. these are images that my four children will never have unless we pass this bill today, the inspiration of this ship and the majesty of it and it's a ship

rich with history. june 2, 1927, the next 13 years she ran overnight trips between sacramento and san francisco. she served the u.s. navy as a training facility in the san francisco bay and for 60 years she traveled on the ohio river. in 1966, congress passed the safety of life at sea act, not at rivers at sea. this ship was caught up in an overly broad regulation. we seek to right that wrong today. i just want to speak to the bipartisan nature of this bill. i serve on the transportation committee. it received overwhelming bipartisan support and no rules were suspended to debate this bill within the committee. in fact, in 2008, as congressman chabot from ohio, stated, the senate bill to extend this exemption garnered bipartisan support from senator mitch

mcconnell and then-senator barack obama. please vote for h.r. 1961. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the chair will receive a message. the messenger: mr. speaker, a message from the senate. the secretary: the senate has passed without amendments h.r. 3092 to amend the missing children assistance act and for other purposes. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from california is recognized. mr. garamendi: mr. speaker, i yield two minutes to the steemed lady from connecticut. >> i appreciate the gentleman and working with many others to address this bill. ms. esty: why are we here? h.r. 1961 would reinstate and backdate an exemption for common

sense safety standards for one single vessel. on its face, this bill is deeply troubling from a public safety perspective. i can appreciate the desire to keep and preserve the historic delta queen, but that should be done by the private market, not by congress and should not be done in a way that jeopardizes public safety. reinstating the expired exemption would distort basic principles of the free market and competition, because all other vessels operating as overnight passenger cruise vessels are built to appropriate fire safety standards. these are investments made by u.s. manufacturers and u.s. tour economies alike. doing the right thing and rebuilding should not be obstructed by unprecedented 15-year exemption for a single boat which is reportedly going through a sale. examine what this measure would

do to public safety and competition in the marketplace and remind we can protect public safety and protect jobs by voting no on h.r. 1961 and i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady yields back. the gentleman from wisconsin is recognized. mr. petri: i reserve. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves the balance of his time. the gentleman from california is recognized. mr. garamendi: may i inquire as to the time we have available? the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman has four minutes remaining and the gentleman from wisconsin has four minutes remaining. mr. garamendi: we have no other speakers here, which gives me four minutes to lay out the case, which may be quite sufficient. with regard to regular order, i haven't been around here long enough to know that regular order does not, apparently, include a hearing. there has been no hearing on this bill. the bill simply came to the full committee and was up or down for

a vote. i had the opportunity to object at that time and continue to object at this home. yes, this is about jobs, but it's also about safety. there's a reason why the law was passed and that is to protect those men and women that are on the boat, presumably to enjoy, in this case, the mississippi river or the ohio river. but if this bill were to become law, they would not know that they are actually in a very dangerous situation. it's been said that not to worry, after all, we are not an open sea, miles and miles from shore. i would remind those who care to think about safety that the concordia was 900 feet off the italian coast when it sank, quickly. and 30 people lost their lives

900 feet from the coast. it was saltwater to be sure, but nonetheless, they were near the coast. there are plenty of places on the mississippi that are more than 900 feet from the coast. imagine a fire breaking out in the front part of the ship -- and by the way, this ship has had 15 mechanical failures in the last 20 years, mechanical failures, if they were to continue, would cause the fire extinction system not to work, even though it is not in the state rooms or public areas, only in the nonpublic areas. a lot of this has been said about an earmark. this bill applies to one ship and only applies to the delta queen. applies to no other ship. now, there is a financial benefit to the owners of this

ship if this were to happen. they would be able to travel up and down the rivers, mississippi, ohio, perhaps others, without having to meet the normal fire safety requirements. that's a financial benefit. not with 49 passengers, but with as many as 170 or 179. that's financial benefit. that meets my definition of an earmark, when it goes to a private, single entity, for their financial success. what are we concerned about here? jobs? yes. we are concerned about jobs. those men and women that would be able to get those jobs, people that i care about, who i met with yesterday about jobs on the maritime industry throughout this nation. but no where in the discussions we had yesterday in oakland, california, was the issue of jobs less important or more

important than safety. i just think we ought to be very careful here. we ought to be very, very careful, because we are talking about life-safety issues. i would pray and would hope that all 435 of us that are going to deal with this bill shortly in an up-or-down vote would never have to face the moment at someday in the future over the next 15 years, should this become law, where a fire breaks out on this ship. because if it were to break out, there would be a great deal of sorrow. and i suspect there would be a few amongst us who vote for measure would say, i made a very, very bad mistake. i yield back the time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman's time has expired. the gentleman from wisconsin is recognized. mr. petri: i yield to my colleague from the state of ohio. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from ohio is

recognized. mr. chabot: i thank the gentleman for yielding and i agree with some of the comments from my colleague from california. safety is paramount and it is paramount to us as it is to those on the other side of the aisle both in support and in opposition to the legislation and it is to the union, the merchants and whole range of people. and the coast guard will ultimately determine whether it's safe or not. it cannot get a certificate to go on the waters of the rivers of mississippi and ohio until the coast guard agrees it is safe. is the delta queen safe? it has operated safely for more than 80 years. in all that time, there's never been a fire that required any passenger evacuation. not one. over 80 years' period time. the delta queen is never more

than a mile away. this was the safety at seas act as our colleague from kentucky mentioned. this legislation was supposed to apply to ocean-going vessels at sea, not the rivers. the coast guard more broadly brought in the rivers and that's why congress said, look, we didn't mean this to apply to the rivers. so if it applies to any boats, any ships on the rivers, then we are going to give them an exemption. only one boat that was big enough, that was the delta queen, because it has a steel hull and steel paddles in the back and a wooden superstructure and we have given this exemption for 40 years from 1968 to 2008. 40 years, congress gave the exemption because we considered it to be safe. it is going to be certified by the coast guard that it is safe. the delta queen will be required

to get a certificate from the coast guard in order to move. now, let me read from a couple of those groups. we have heard from members of congress here. this is the seafarers international union who were opposed to this in 2008 and now are in support. "we write to express our support for h.r. 1961. this legislation would permit the delta queen zeemboat to return to the rivers. there is much more work ahead before the boat can return to full operation, securing the congressional waiver is the first and most critical step." . that's what this is all about. the new boilers, the new steam pipes. $10 million worth of restoration. for anybody to put money into that to make the ship better and make it safe, et cetera, it

needs this exemption in order to allow the private sector to get the money into the boat so it can actually continue on the history that we have seen for many years in this country on this particular boat. this particular vessel has been a source of jobs for many merchant mariners as an overnight cruise vessel and it can be again. unfortunately, absent the congressional waiver, these jobs will forever be lost. farrers said.he sea it will create the circumstances to return to operation as a river-farring vessel. the owners understand they will need to make improvements for the ship before she gets approval from the coast guard. passing h.r. 1961 will give those parties the assurance they require to undertake those

efforts to spend the $10 million. bringing the delta queen back in operation status. it will create jobs and these maritime officers wouldn't want to be sailing. the speaker pro tempore: the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman's time has expired. the question is will the house suspend the rules and pass the bill. those in favor say aye. those opposed, no. in the opinion of the chair, 2/3 of those voting having responded in the affirmative -- the gentleman from california is recognized. mr. garamendi: mr. speaker, i ask for the yeas and nays. the speaker pro tempore: the yeas and nays are requested. all those in favor of taking this vote by the yeas and nays will rise and remain standing until counted. a sufficient number having arisen, the yeas and nays are ordered. pursuant to clause 8 of rule 20, further proceedings on this otion will be postponed. for what purpose does the gentleman from wisconsin seek recognition? mr. petri: mr. speaker, i ask unanimous consent that dish move to suspend the rules and pass

the bill h.r. 3095. the speaker pro tempore: the clerk will report the title of the bill. the clerk: union calendar number 165, h.r. 3095, a bill to ensure that any new or revised requirement for fighting for the screening, testing or treatment of individuals operating or rcial motor vehicles sleep disorders is adopted and for other purposes. the speaker pro tempore: pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from wisconsin, mr. petri, and the gentlewoman from the district of columbia, ms. norton, each will control 20 minutes. the chair recognizes the gentleman from wisconsin. mr. petri: mr. speaker, i ask unanimous consent all members have five legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous matters on the bill before us. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. mr. petri: i yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. petri: pleased to support h.r. 3095. this bill ensures that any new or revised requirements made by the secretary for the screening, testing or treatment of commercial motor vehicle drivers

for obstructive sleep app in a is adopted through a rulemaking proceeding. h.r. 3095 does not require a rulemaking proceeding to be initiated. it only requires that any future changes to screening, testing or treatment requirements for sleep disorders are made through a rulemaking. rulemaking will help the federal motor carrier safety administration, stakeholders and this congress understand the costs and benefits of the proposed changes and provide stakeholders an opportunity to comment. h.r. 3095 is the most responsible way to move forward with any changes to sleep disorder testing, treatments or requirements. this bill has over 59 democratic and republican co-sponsors and shows how effective a bipartisan effort to move practical legislation can be. senator blunt from missouri and senator warner from virginia

have introduced senate 1537, the companion bill to that before us, h.r. 3095. this bill has strong bicameral, bipartisan support and urge all my colleagues to support h.r. 3095 and reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves. the gentlewoman from the district of columbia is recognized. ms. norton: thank you, mr. speaker. and i thank my good friend, the chairman of the subcommittee, for his work on this very important bill. and i yield myself such time as i may consume. i rise in support of h.r. 3095, the legislation ensures the changed planned by the federal motor carrier safety administration to better diagnose and treat sleep disorders among commercial truck and bus drivers will be done with a formal rulemaking.

i believe the initiative to address the sleep disorder is important and i fully support the agency's efforts to improve safety. there's little question that obstructive sleep apnia if left untreated can significantly affect to truck or bus driver in his or her on-the-job performance. when we scheduled markup of this bill in the committee on transportation and infrastructure, the agency was considering making significant changes to the medical screening of drivers for sleep apnia through guidance. the rulemaking process, however, will afford fmcsa the opportunity to get input from the public. including drivers and companies who will be directly affected by the changes.

this legislation has been overtaken by events and seems to have already had the desired effect. while i'm not sure this bill is necessary, i have no objection whatsoever to its content and i support its adoption. i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady reserves the balance of her time. the gentleman from wisconsin is recognized. mr. petri: mr. speaker, i yield such time as he may consume to our colleague from the state of indiana, dr. bucshon. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from indiana is recognized. mr. bucshon: thank you, mr. speaker. this legislation is simple but has the potential to save the trucking industry nearly $1 billion. if the department of transportation, specifically the federal motor carrier safety administration, decides they want to weigh in on sleep apnea they need to do so by a rulemaking process. on april 20, 2012, fmcsa published a federal registered

notice that stated fmcsa was going to publish regulatory guidance related to sleep apnea. subsequently, as has been mentioned, they decided to go through the rulemaking process, but i still believe this bill is necessary to codify that position into law and give the opinion of congress to fmcsa on this issue. the problem with issuing guidance instead of traditional rulemaking is that guidance is nonbinding and open to interpretation. when somebody with a commercial driver's license goes to a physician to get a physical, the doctor can follow the guidance and recommend a sleep apnea test. sleep apnea test costs thousands of dollars and the cost would be shifted to the employer of the driver or to themselves. if the doctor chose to ignore the guidance, they would be open to possible legal actions. i know from experience that most physicians already practice defensive medicine and any guidance related to this issue would only drive up the cost of medicine and hurt an industry that's already facing high

unemployment. the american trucking association has estimated that nearly 1/3 of their drivers would meet the arbitrary body mass index threshold, that would be an estimated one million drivers getting a sleep apnea test at an average cost of $2,265. the total cost just to the american trucking association members would be estimated between $900 million and $1.2 billion. the school bus association estimates that this regulation would cost their drivers $100 million. sleep apnea is a serious disease that can't be diagnosed arbitrarily by guidance set in washington, d.c. the department needs to go through the rulemaking process which again they've already agreed to do. this would allow a cost-benefit analysis and input from medical providers and all of the stakeholders involved in this issue. i'm proud that the bill passed out of the transportation committee and with unanimous

support, and had over 60 bipartisan co-sponsors. the american trucking association, the american bus association, the international brotherhood of teamsters, the national school transportation association, owner, operator, independent drivers association, and the united motor coach association have all endorsed h.r. 3095. i would like to thank the transportation committee, especially dan, for their assistance and support of this legislation. i urge all of my colleagues to support this bill and i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. for what purpose does the gentleman from -- the gentlelady from the district of columbia is recognized. ms. norton: mr. chairman, i can only hope that the agency which has the long docket in fact gets to this rulemaking. it is always in the best of all possible worlds best to have rulemaking input from the public . of course the formal effect of

rules and the courts of the united states, and i'm not sure why the agency was going to do guidance instead. but this is a very important issue. there have been accidents that have been attributed to sleep apnea. but again, without any guidance, without any rulemaking, without any understanding of how to go about even detecting it and what you're supposed to do to prevent in preventingayed these accidents. so i very much appreciate the work of both sides and certainly of my good friend, the chairman of the subcommittee, and mr. chairman, i have no further speakers and i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady yields back the balance of her time. the gentleman from wisconsin is recognized. mr. petri: mr. speaker, i would encourage all members to support the bill before us and i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. the question is will the house suspend the rules and pass the

bill, h.r. 3095. those in favor say aye. those opposed, no. in the opinion of the chair, 2/3 of those voting having responded in the affirmative -- mr. petri: mr. speaker. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from wisconsin is recognized. mr. petri: i demand the yeas and nays. the speaker pro tempore: the yeas and nays are requested. all those in favor of taking this vote by the yeas and nays will rise and remain standing until counted. a sufficient number having arisen, the yeas and nays are ordered. pursuant to clause 8 of rule 20, further proceedings on this otion will be postponed. for what purpose does the gentleman from washington seek recognition? mr. hastings: i move to suspend the rules and agree to house resolution 354. the speaker pro tempore: the clerk will report the title of the bill. the clerk: house resolution 354, resolution providing for the concurrence by the house in the senate amendment to h.r. 527

with an amendment. the speaker pro tempore: pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from washington, mr. hastings, and the gentleman from new jersey, mr. holt, each will control 20 minutes. the chair recognizes the gentleman from washington. mr. hastings: mr. speaker, i ask unanimous consent that all members may have five legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous materials on the bill under consideration. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. mr. hastings: i yield myself as much time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. hastings: thank you very much, mr. speaker. mr. speaker, this bipartisan legislation being considered by the house this evening, h.r. 527, the helium stewardship act, is a commonsense action plan to protect our economy from the impending helium short and and to inject free market principles into our -- to inject free market principles into our federal helium program. the house must take action today on this legislation, before time runs out. under current law, the reserve must cease operations on october 1. that's only six days from now,

mr. speaker. the federal helium reserve supplies are 1/3 of the world's helium and a disruption would cause real harm to our nation's economy. helium is an essential -- is essential to our 21st century economy. without it we wouldn't have life-saving m.r.i. machines, we wouldn't have deputer -- computer chips, we wouldn't have fiber optic cables or other devices used for our defense needs. unless congress takes immediate action, tens of thousands of american jobs in critical technologies would be put at risk. the bill before us today is truly a bipartisan, a bicameral plan that i'm pleased to have worked with, with both my senate and house colleagues. this bill would implement a new operating system for the federal helium reserve on october 1 that would include semiannual auctions. this will ensure that we prevent a helium shortage and that the

reserve stays open until 2021. when then nearly all of the helium supply is sold. that will give us enough time for the market to supplant this helium that will go away. and it also ensures that this program, federal program, is ended. a little history. on april 26, the house passed h.r. 527, the helium stewardship act, by a vote of 394-1. last week, the senate passed h.r. 527 with an amendment by a 97-2. this final text of house resolution 354 makes several necessary minimal adjustments to the senate-passed version of h.r. 527, to ensure it abides by budget rules and laws, so that it does not increase our deficit spending. this will maintain the flow

of helium after october 1 and prevent disruptions to american jobs, critical technology and medical devices. nearly 100 groups representing the end users of refined helium and these are high-tech manufacturers, aerospace technologies, fiber optics and science research, all have called for passage of this legislation. so we have the opportunity today to preserve our economy, bring real reforms to a federal program, get a better return for the taxpayer and in the end truly shut down an outdated program. these are all wins and should pass this bill and celebrate these successes. i urge adoption of the resolution and i reserve. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves the balance of his time. the gentleman from new jersey is recognized. mr. holt: i ask unanimous onsent to revise and extend my

remarks. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. mr. holt: i yield myself such time as i may consume. while this legislation has taken some time, it has demonstrated that members of both parties, members of both houses can work cooperatively and in good faith to reach bipartisan solutions. this is the sort of legislative action americans want to see us undertaking. the legislation before us is a version that none of us would write if left to our own devices. every member who has worked on this bill, every stakeholder affected by this bill has had to make compromises to achieve a shared goal of maintaining the supply of helium that is important. we have had to make substantive changes to address legitimate policy concerns and technical

changes to address parliamentary and budget matters, but we have gotten the job done. i wish we could use this as the model for the continuing resolution for the debt ceiling, for the farm bill, for so many other things. with the clock ticking, the need to get this legislation across the finish line is urgent. as i said when we considered this bill back in april, helium is not used just to fill balloons, it is critical for 's. i. necessary for preparing nasa rockets for launching, for high-tech manufacturing for cleaning silicon chips for integrated sishts and for lots of scientific research. for many of these applications, there is simply no replacement for helium. our nation's federal helium reserve supplies, nearly half of the helium used in the united

states and roughlyy a third. if congress fails to pass this, the end of the current fiscal year, the interior department's authority to continue will expire. nearly half of america's helium would be cut off, creating a crisis, and that's not an overstatement. it would devastate important sectors of america's high-tech and medical economy. h.r. 527, would extend the life of the federal helium reserve a enshir a fair return to taxpayers on this federally-owned resource. it would generate more than 300 million for american taxpayers, according to the congressional budget office. i thank chairman hastings, also former ranking member markey and current ranking member defazio. they deserve enormous credit for

moving this legislation forward. it's a good bill. provides a workable solution to a real problem, and i urge its adoption. i reserve. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves the balance of his time. the gentleman from washington is recognized. mr. hastings: i yield three minutes to the gentleman from oregon, mr. walden. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. walden: i thank the chairman for his leadership on this and many other issues so important to america's economy and our country. i rise today also in support of this legislation to reform the federal helium program and also to reduce the deficit by $90 million over the next decade. as chairman of the energy and commerce subcommittee on technology, this is not about ball ands but america's innovation and technology sector, about computers, m.r.i.'s and or great innovation and technology. it's essential this become law. at the same time, this measure provides short-term health to rural communities from some of

the funding sources here. those communities are teatering on the edge of bankruptcy. let's be clear. at help is a lifeline, not a lifeboat. the status quo of asking uncle sam for a check year after year is not sustainable. managing our federal forests, generating jobs and revenue, that's sustainable. last week, the house passed a long-term solution for our rural forested communities. the chairman's bill dealt before us. and now it's time, now it's time for the united states senate to take positive action. we need to create jobs in the woods. we need to reduce the threat of catastrophic wildfire and improve the health of our watersheds and forests. we need to help our forested communities get back to self-sufficiency, self-reliance and get people back to work in

the woods. it's time to get this done. rural communities cannot wait any longer. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. the gentleman from new jersey is recognized. mr. holt: i'm pleased to yield two minutes to the gentlelady from connecticut. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady from connecticut is recognized. ms. delauro: thank you, mr. speaker and thank you, mr. holt, for giving me a moment today. ms. esty: i rise to thank the members in the house and the senate who are resolved in preserving the helium smu. gridlock and posturing is threatening a government shutdown and damage to our economy, today, we are voting on a negotiated path forward, a more fair solution that will ensure a stable supply of helium for businesses and will reduce our deficit by an estimated of $90 million over the next 10 years.

from the beginning of the discussion over the future of the helium stewardship act, i have taken a keen interest as elium is the importance to connecticut community, like manufacturs, the health of the helium market supports thousands of jobs in my state. i thank chairman hastings for working with everyone at the table to make last-minute changes to address legitimate and justified concerns. this sort of bipartisan cooperation and compromise is just what our country needs and just what our country wants. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady yields back. the gentleman from washington is recognized. mr. hastings: i'm very pleased to yield three minutes to mr. dent who has been actively involved in this legislation since actually the issue came to us a little year ago.

the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. dent: i rise in strong support of this legislation. i wanted to extend my thanks to chairman hastings, to mr. holt, to ranking member defazio and senator markey and our members in the senate. this is a good bipartisan piece of legislation done in a bicameral manner and take pride in the fact that congress can get things done when we put our minds to it. while i had some reservations regarding the initial house bill due to some potential issues of -- potential contract violations, this bill before us, h.r. 527 fairly addresses those concerns and i try to address those concerns in the previous bill. and i thank my colleagues for their strong support that effort. but passing this legislation will ensure continued access to

the nation's helium supply for america's businesses and researchers. if no action is taken before october 1, the bureau of land management will be forced to shut the helium federal reserve putting at risk thousands of jobs particularly those in the manufacturing sector. a steady supply is absolutely essential in manufacturing, such as m.r.i.'s, fiber optic cables and we need to make sure we can continue in those pursuits. it is important to many refiners. there are products in my district that are very much involved in making sure this helium gets to the marketplace and end users. today's action will ensure that these advances in high-tech manufacturers will not lose access to helium at a time when a helium shortage is already in place. again, i want to say thanks to everybody involved, mr. holt,

mr. hastings, for their patience and listening and coming to a good solution to a very important problem. i thank you and i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. the gentleman from new jersey is recognized. mr. holt: let me ask the chairman if he has additional speakers. mr. hastings: i'm prepared to close. mr. holt: i will close with a few remarks. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. holt: with the thanks to the chairman. mr. speaker, i just want to stress how important the operation of the federal helium has been to science, to technology, to manufacturing, to health care in the united states. three-quarters of a september try ago, farsighted legislators started stockpiling helium. they didn't know what else it would be used for, but they recognized and understood that helium had some very special

prompts. the federal helium reserve, the country's domestic stockpile of helium has been a good investment for taxpayers. helium is without a doubt a rare, valuable resource, critical to our economic and national security. because of decisions by congress in past years, we are now in a position where failure to act in the next five days will result in nearly half of america's helium supply will be cut off creating a crisis in health care, research and many other areas. so here we have an example of where congress was farsighted and then subsequently shortsighted. today we are taking wise steps to remedy the situation. it's important that as we make the decisions and the changes that we make with this legislation that we don't fail

to recognize the possible future users, many perhaps not envisioned and a possible failure of the market to provide an adequate supply of helium to meet those demands. i know there is an ideology that is prevalent, for any commy, the market will provide. not always. in this case, helium over the decades, it would not have, had it not been for the federal reserve. so it's important today as we are passing this legislation, we remember that it does require within two years, the development of a long-term helium strategy to secure access to helium and minimize disruption of a helium supply once the current reserve is shut down. the federal helium reserve over the life of this bill, will generate over $300 million for

american taxpayers. now the definition of a good investment is something that returns considerably more than you put into it. the helium reserve has been a good investment for this country. and frankly, the federal government should be looking for more opportunities to make such investments. if in a few years' time, we realize that a federal helium reserve is necessary to secure a long-term domestic supply of helium, then i hope we can work together in the same cooperative manner that we worked on this to make the farsighted investments that legislators made many decades ago to establish a federal helium reserve. i thank my colleagues on the committee and especially my friend from washington state, chairman hastings, for his work on this bipartisan solution. i encourage my colleagues to hear and the other body, to get this to the president for his signature quickly.

i urge adoption, and i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. the gentleman from washington is recognized. mr. hastings: thank you very much, mr. speaker. i yield myself the balance of the time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. hastings: mr. speaker, virtually all of my colleagues have expressed gratitude for this bipartisan, bicameral effort and i want to add my words to that also, but i want to thank two members of the two gnat ral resources staff, because they worked diligently on this and especially this last week getting the final language together. it's not often that you get to thank one person that is now served in both bodies. but former member ed markey was an original co-sponsor and senator markey was a big advocate in the senate and i thank him and his staff. i want to thank senator wyden

and senator murkowski and their staff because we recognized this had to be done before a date certain. and as we have said many times on this floor, there are differences between the two bodies and how they approach different issues, and that was certainly true with this one, but we knew we had to get this done. and so we have a piece now that i think both sides and both houses can agree on. so, with that, mr. speaker, i urge adoption of the resolution and i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the question is, will the house suspend the rules and agree to house resolution 354, those in favor say aye. those opposed, no. in the opinion of the chair, 2/3 being in the affirmative -- the gentleman from washington. mr. hastings: i ask for the yeas and nays. mr. hastings: i ask for the yeas and nays.

the speaker pro tempore: the yeas and nays have been requested. those in favor of taking this vote by the yeas and nays will rise and remain standing until counted. a sufficient number having risen, the yeas and nays are ordered. further proceedings on this otion will be postponed. for what purpose does the gentleman from north carolina seek recognition? >> mr. speaker, i move the house suspend the rules and pass h.r. 2600. the speaker pro tempore: the clerk will report the title of the bill. the clerk: h.r. 2600, a bill to amend the interstate land sales full cliss closure act to review how the act applies to

condominiums. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman in north carolina and the gentlewoman from new york will each control five minutes. >> i ask that all members have five legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and insert extraneous material into the rod. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. mr. mchenry: i yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. mchenry: i want to begin by commending my colleague, congresswoman maloney of new york, for introducing h.r. 2600 to clarify the intent and purpose of the interstate land sales full disclosure act or ilsa. it was signed into law almost a half century ago to regulate operators who were bilinging people, especially the desert, swamps and and in deserts.

it was the land sales not the condo units that were the target, as required that the -- as is evident by the fact that they talk about roads and water supply and make no sense in the context of more urban, vertical development. nevertheless, in the 1980's, the federal courts started to apply ilsa to vertical condominiums based on h.u.d.'s broad interpretation and congress' failure to expressly exempt condominiums. the fact is, purchasers of vertical condominium units do not need the adecisional disclosures of that tact to the extent that any of these -- of the act's disclosures relate to condo developments they are generally duplicative of more extensive information already contained in state-mandated disclosures to purchaser. private use of ilsa was practically nonexistent for 40 years until 2008 when the real estate market crashed and

purchasers' lawyers started looking for ways to escape pre-crash contracts. as the recession continued, plaintiffs' lawyers began seeking out purr chatsers' to file lawsuits under that act demanding full rescission with such websites at nocondo.com. of course generally knowledged that the ilsa has become a, quote, encreasingly popular means of chabble channeling buyers' remorse. while courts expressed sympathy for the position, many felt compelled to apply the language of the statute literally, allowing buyers to escape valid contracts. i stand in strong support of h.r. 2600, which puts an end to the exploitation of ilsa and allows residential condominium sales to make a return to the mark place.

and i want to urge my colleagues to support this bill and i want to once again commend my colleague on the financial services committee, both for her great legislative work and her thoughtfulness in crafting this legislation. i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady from new york is recognized. mrs. maloney: i yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady is recognized. mrs. maloney: i thank my colleague, mr. mchenry. this is one of many bills we have worked together on in a bipartisan way. the interstate land sales disclosure act, known as ilsa was enacted in 1969 to protect consumers from being cheated in land deals. it was originally intended to protect out of state buyers who were sold land that was not what it was advertised to be. it provides for right of action to rescind the contract and walk away from the deal. however, due to am by fwuities

in the original law, courts have ruled over the years that ilsa applies to condominiums and developers are required to file redundant paperwork and make disclosures that are completely nonsensical when applied to condo units. this has led to absurd results. for example, ilsa requires condo developer to file a report that discloses, among other things, information about the condo unit's topography, how much of the condo is covered by water and whether there's any soil erosion and whether the cond men yums have any oil and gas rights. i for one don't know of any high rise condo units that are covered by water, requiring condo developers to file these types of nonsensical disclosures provides no consumer protection whatsoever

and simply generates unnecessary paperwork. unfortunately, during the economic downturn, 2008, some buyers have used the reporting requirements of ilsa to rescind otherwise valid contracts for economic reasons and unintended cons -- an unintended consequence of the act and its intent. the law now needs a technical fix to disting western condominium sales from other types of land sales and recognize the unique conditions under which these units are sold in today's market. as the author of the credit cardholders bill of rights, i'm a trong supporter of consumer protection. i fully support the consumer protections that were enacted through ilsa and this proposed legislation does nothing to affect those consumer protections. but i also believe that we need to make distinctions for condos in order to allow the

condominium development industry to rebound from the recession. the bill would only exempt condos from ilsa's reg streags requirements. it will maintain the consume brother text which ensures that consumers still have the right to rescind contracts in cases of actual fraud. developers would of course still be reared to comply with state laws that require specific disclosure. as we recover in this still very fragile economy, we want to encourage, not discourage, buyers and sellers to enter into real estate deals responseably. that's why this bill is important to ensure development and the return of an important industry in our country. residential condominium sales. i urge my colleagues to support this bill and i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady reserves. the gentleman from north carolina is recognized. mr. mchenry: we're prepared to

close. mrs. maloney: i yield five minutes to my colleague from the great state of new york, jerry nadler. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. nadler: i thank my colleague, mrs. maloney, for bringing this to the floor today and allowing me the teem. i rise in support of h.r. 2600 to preserve consume brother texts while keeping -- keeping our economic recovery on track. more than 40 years ago, congress passed ilsa to prevent real estate developers from bilinging unsuspecting buyers out of their life savings by selling them parcels of land in the middle of a swamp or desert. it requires sellers to disclose critical information about land being sold including automobile access to the property, the availability of water on the lot and access to emergency personnel. these disclosure requirements are clearly necessary and appropriate for individuals buying land sight unseen. they do not make sense, however, when you try to apply

them to purchase os condominiums in high raise developments. clearly a condo in down thoun manhattan or towntown dallas will have access to water and emergency services and purchasers don't need to know about the risk of soil erosion within their homes on the 15th floor. though commonsense would dictate otherwise, courts have interpreted the vague statutory and regulatory language of ilsa to apply to condo purchases. while that interpretation has been disputed and discussed other the years, it was rarely an issue in private condo sales until the economy crashed in 2008. as mentioned by mrs. maloney, facing tough financial times and under water mortgages, they began to use the failure to comply with ilsa to void otherwise valid contracts and receive a full refound and cash down payment. this left many large

developments in new york, florida and other states unfinished or unoccupied. we can agree ilsa provides vital consumer protection for land purchasers but it should not be used to void valid contracts because of buyers' remorse. this bill encludes specific ladgewadge to exempt con donald -- cond men yums. condominium developers will still be required to comply with the anti-fraud provegs and continue complying with all state and local disclosure requirements for cond men yums. this bill, mr. speaker, is an easy fix to ensure developers continue to comply with strict reporting requirements, purchasers have the information they need to make important degreeses and their economic recovery remains on track. i congratulate mrs. maloney for bringing this bill to the floor and i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman from new york is

recognized. mrs. maloney: i have no further requests for time, i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from north carolina is recognized. mr. mchenry: i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the question is, will the house suspend the rules and pass the bill h.r. 2600? those in favor say aye. those opposed, no. in the opinion of the chair, 2/3 being in the affirmative, for what purpose does the gentleman from north carolina rise? mr. mchenry: i ask for a recorded vote. the speaker pro tempore: does the gentleman ask for the yeas and nays. mr. mchenry: i do, indeed. the speaker pro tempore: the yeas and nays are requested. those in favor of taking this vote by the yeas and nays will rise and remain standing until counted. a sufficient number having risen, the yeas and nays are ordered. pursuant to clause 8 of rule 20, further proceedings on this motion will be postponed. pursuant to clause 8 of rule 20, proceedings will resume on motions to suspend the rules previously postponed. votes will be taken in the following order -- h.r. 1961 by the yeas and nays. h.res. 354 by the yeas and

nays. the first electron exvote will be conducted as a 15-minute vote. the remaining electronic vote will be conducted as a five-minute vote. the unfinished business is the vote on the motion of the gentleman of wisconsin, mr. petri, to suspend the rules and pass h.r. 1961 on which the yeas and nays are ordered. the clerk will report the title of the bill. the clerk: unocal dan -- calendar number 127, h.r. 1961, a bill to amend title 46 united states code to extend the exemption from the fire retardant materials construction requirement for vessels operating within the boundary line. the speaker pro tempore: the question is, will the howls -- house suspend the rules and pass the bill? members will record their votes by electronic device. this is a 15-minute vote. [captioning made possible by the national captioning institute, inc., in cooperation with the united states house of representatives. any use of the closed-captioned coverage of the house proceedings for political or

commercial purposes is expressly prohibited by the u.s. house of representatives.]

the speaker pro tempore: on this vote, the yeas are 280, the nays are 89. 2/3 being in the affirmative, the rules are suspended, the bill is passed and without objection the motion to reconsider is laid on the table.

he house will come to order. the house will come to order. members will take their seats. the house will come to order. for what purpose does the gentleman from colorado seek recognition? >> i ask unanimous consent to speak out of order and address the house. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. mr. polis: mr. speaker, none of

us ever want to be down here as representatives and as a delegation talking about a disaster in our district bus last week, coloradans in an instant lost their homes and businesses, their hopes and dreams and in some cases, tragically, their lives. amid the despir and disaster, people came together, helping dig one another out, the heroism of our sheriff's department and national forward in conducting an airlift of thousands of coloradans to safety. today we mourn the tragic loss of life and the lives devastated by the floods. among those confirmed dead, evelyn starner a nurse and mother of three. jerry bowen, beloved grandfather and retired math teacher and well known -- at all coach at a low a high school in lyons. joseph howle to; t, well known operator of the jamestown

mercantile cafe, which i've been to, for 18 years. .c. white, and rihann nelson and wesley quinlan, 19-year-old sweethearts. he was swept away trying to save his girlfriend's life when their car got stuck. and patty goodwind, who is still missing and we pray for her hurn. i yield to the gentleman from colorado, mr. gardner. mr. gardner: in colorado we lost over 2,000 homes, destroyed over 17,000 homes damaged, over 200 miles of highway washed away. the incredible work the first responders have done, local leaders, local elected officials, firemen, the stories of their heroic efforts are continuing to emerge and we cannot thank them enough for the work they've done in colorado to save lives and property and what they're doing now to rebuild communities. i would ask that you join us in a moment of silence in

remembrance of the people who loster that lives and hadder that lives forever changed. the speaker pro tempore: embers will please rise. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, five-minute voting will continue. the unfinished business is the vote on the motion of the gentleman from washington, mr. hastings, to suspend the rules and agree to house resolution 354 on which the yeas and nays were ordered. the clerk will report the title of the resolution. the clerk: house resolution 354, resolution providing for the concurrence by the house in the senate amendment to h.r. 527, with an amendment. the speaker pro tempore: the question is will the house suspend the rules and agree to the resolution. members will record their votes by electronic device.

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

the speaker pro tempore: on this vote the yeas are 367, the nays are zero. 2/3 of those voting having responded in the affirmative, the rules are suspended, the resolution is agreed to and without objection the motion to reconsider is laid on the table.

the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentlelady from california rise? >> for a unanimous consent request. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman is recognized. ms. waters: i ask unanimous consent that i may hereafter be considered to be the first sponsor of h.r. 1508, a bill originally introduced by representative edward markey of massachusetts, for the purposes of adding co-sponsors and requesting reprintings pursuant to clause 7 of rule 12. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, so ordered. the chair will now entertain requests for one-minute speeches.

for what purpose does the gentleman from texas seek recognition? mr. poe: ask unanimous consent to address the house for one minute, revise and extend my remarks. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, the gentleman is recognized for one minute. mr. poe: mr. speaker, the united nations arms trade treaty signed by this administration today is an attempt by third world countries to control guns world-wide, including personal firearms in the united states. under the section of scope, the treaty indicates that covered weapons include small arms and light weapons. the language is so broad that nations are expected to track all weapon movements from the time they are manufactured until the time they are destroyed. the language is vague so that the treaty could be interpreted to contradict the united states from helping its ally like israel. the u.n. treaty allows government regulations to be imposed to collect data on gun owners. the treaty presents a clear and present danger to the second amendment of the united states constitution. this is another attempt by this

administration to control firearms of individual americans. the constitutional professor is letting the u.n. override the second amendment and destroy individual liberty. the president took an oath to the united states constitution, not the u.n. charter. and that's just the way it is. yield back. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentlelady from tennessee seek recognition? -- the gentleman from tennessee seek recognition? without objection, the gentleman is recognized for one minute. mr. cohen: thank you, mr. speaker. i'm pleased today that the house just passed h.r. 1961. it gives the delta queen another opportunity to go up and down the mississippi river. delta queen is a national treasure that for 80 years took passengers up and down the river and of course stopped in my hometown of memphis. on its last trip, about three or four years ago, i was there to witness the queen's last trip and it was an emotional time for

a lot of people from memphis who really revere the river and the traffic thereon. there were issues about safety but those issues i think are satisfied. there were ocean standards put to a river boat which were improper. the unions that opposed this in the past came to be for it. the delta queen has a safe vessel that will provide -- is a safe vess that will will provide a -- vessel that will provide a wonderful experience for the people traveling up and down the mississippi river. it's a treasure, a piece of history. it's also economic development for the region. i thank my colleagues for supporting both the delta queen and the communities along the river and i look forward to a nice trip on the delta queen sometime. i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentlelady from tennessee seek recognition? without objection, the gentlelady is recognized for one minute. mrs. blackburn: thank you, mr. speaker. you know, there's been a lot of talk, delay, defunds, repeal, replace. that's what we're doing when it

comes to obamacare. and indeed that's what the american people want. they continue to tell us that they want the protections from the harmful impact of obamacare and they want to make certain that we keep the federal government open. the house has passed legislation that does control spending, it defunds one cair -- obamacare, and it prevents the government shutdown. house republicans are leading the fight to control spending, to stop obamacare, and to protect hardworking americans and it is time for the senate to join us. here's a great example of the harmful effects of obamacare. in nashville, tennessee, a 27-year-old young man, nonsmoker, currently plays -- pays $41 a month. pays $41 a month for health insurance. under obamacare, guess what? per premium goes to $114

month. $41, $114 per month. that is the impact and the effect of obamacare. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman seek recognition? >> i ask unanimous consent to address the house for one minute and revise and extend my remarks. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, the gentleman is recognized for one minute. >> i rise to recognize the elementary school in my district names a as a 2013 national blue ribbon school by the department of education. the national blue ribbon school program recognizes public and private elmry, middle and high chool -- elementary, middle, and high schools for their acheements. two members of the school have been invited to washington, d.c. for the ceremony where they'll receive the plaque and ribbon to display.

jensen ranch has been working to integrate new technology into the classroom and implemented early vervention program -- programs for students struggling to read and write. they're commitment to provoiding a top-notch program will help students learn, growing and thrive in our community. congratulations again to the teachers, pearns, students and others who helped jensen ranch achieve this great award. i yield back my time. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from wisconsin seek recognition? >> i ask unanimous condition sonet to address the house for one minute and revise and extend my remarks. the speaker pro tempore: without objection the gentleman s recognized for one minute. >> i rise to honor the valuabler is vess of one of wisconsin's war heroes. mr. duffy: he was awarded the medal of honor for his bravery

beyond the call of duty. n the korean war, corporal 's troop was being attacked and he charged the enemy's machine gun fear by himself he took out the enemy's entire gun squad using only his rifle before he fell unconscious due to his wounds. as a result of his actions, the defense of the enemy was broken and more than 100 hs tile troops abandoned them and fled in disorganized retrote. it's because of his courage and unwavering devotion that a stand here today to honor ther engman. f corporal

thank you and i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman rise? >> i ask unanimous consent to address the house for one minute and revise and extend my remarks. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized for one minute. >> i rise today as a member of climate caucus -- safe caucus to say the earth's three mat is changing. climate change is not something that can be addressed at the last minute. mr. holt: we are governing by crisis now. this congress has failed to act or even consider legislation related to climate cheam because this congress is stuck in a last-men way of thinking. governing by crisis makes it nearly impossible to undertack actions that require a long-term perspective, those things that are important but not recognized as an immediate crisis. but climate cheage is immediate and it is a cry sess. just ask the victims of the droughts, the floods, the wild

fires, the superstorms that are costing american lives and dollars. ask the victims if this is a crisis. to start dealing with this crisis, we should stop emitting green duss -- greenhouse gases and wean ourselveses from fossil fuels. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. for what purpose does the gentleman from louisiana week reck necessary? >> i ask unanimous consent to address the house for one minute. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, the gentleman is recognized for one inute. mr. fleming: mr. speaker, hate is a strong word meant to evoke a negative response, which is why it's so troubling when a deck keads-old, multimillion dollar activist organization uses its power to smear other organizations with the label hate group but that's exactly what the southern poverty law center does. on its website you'll find a hate map pen pointing groups

like the american family association and the family research council. southern poverty law center esn't agree with a.f.a. or f.r.c. on traditional mearge. that's appropriate, that's their choice, that's their right. but rather than supporting the first amendment rights of those groups to expresser that moral beliefs they brand them alongside groups that promote race-based violence. last week a man was sentenced to 25 years in jail after he found the family resource council headquarters on the hate map and went there with a gun hoping to kill as many f.r.c. employees as possible. words do have consequences and it's time the southern poverty law center stops uses whatever influence it has left to encite hatred toward people of faith. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from oregon seek reck necessary? >> to address the house for one

minute. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, the gentleman is recognized for one minute. >> the last phi years i have been working to try and help make the promise that we made to iraqis and after begans who helped our soldiers in those battles that we keep our promise to them to protect them as we leave. mr. blumenauer: now because they helped america their lives are in great peril to people who have long memories and hate america. the special immigrant visa program that would allow them to come to the united states is a mess. it doesn't work well. it's slow and convoluted. but now it's fwoning to expire in five days. we have a no-cost solution to at least allow it to continue to limp along. but the house judiciary committee, despite broad bipartisan support for this no cost simple solution, has refused so far this -- to be able to move it forward. every member of the house

should insist that we keep our obligations to these people who helped our soldiers to be table protect them and their families. it's our moral obligation and i strongly urge each member to make their views known. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman's time has expired. for what purpose does the gentleman from pennsylvania seek recognition? >> i ask unanimous condition sonet a to the address the house for one minute and revise and extend. the speaker pro tempore: weather, the gentleman is recognized for one minute. 2012, pson: in july, the national collegiate athletic association by passed its own rules and rescinded 400 academic scholarships from university of pennsylvania. it disqualifies athletes who had nothing to do with what happened at the university. it's a complete contradiction of the stated goal to promote

access to higher education among student athletes. he ncaa anouned it would gradually restore the contractsing but i stand with condemn them n to as their decision to take money out of the hands of students was unjustified. the penn state students, the broader community and alumni has been nothing short of inspirational. i give my commitment to them to continue to push back against arbitrary actions of the ncaa and will not back down until they correct their actions. thank you and i wrold back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentlelady from texas seek recognition? >> to address the house for one minute and revise and extend my remarks. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, the gentlelady is recognized for one minute. ms. jackson lee: for the last

21 hours we have heard a discourse of "green eggs and ham" and a multitude of other commentary that spoke to the will of one person. but i believe america wants this body and the other body to stand on behalf of those who cannot speak for themselves. i rise to call upon this body to vote and cast a vote for america. soldier that was left our soil and those who are still here, whose families need compensation and need to survive, the medicare recipients who need to have their benefits processed, medicaid recipients, those who need clean aeroand lean water, the government of the united states is not frivolous or wastele. the government is a rainy day umbrella for those who suffer from all manner of devastation and disaster. i don't know about the thoughts

of 21 thundershowers -- hours, but i do know i'm fwoning to stand against a clouded and crowded continuing resolution. vote to keep the government open and start using obamacare on october 1. that's the american way. that's the vote for all of america and that's the vote for the vulnerable who cannot speak for themselves, mr. speaker i yield back my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady's teem has ex-peered. for what purpose does the gentleman from new mexico seek recognition? >> i ask unanimous consent to address the house for one minute and revise and extend my remarks. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, the gentleman is recognized for one minute. >> mr. speaker, for the last few days i've been in the southern district of new mexico, i've had the opportunity to visit the devastation caused by the flooding in that area. i've seen houses that have been , trailer destrowed houses washed off their foundation, we've had loss of life, loss of livestock, even

the ground in certain farms washed away and the underlying roadbeds washed away eight and 10 foot deep in some areas. mr. pearce: but in all of that we see the inspirational actions of our first responders, volunteers, people who came out and worked around the clock to prvide help for their neighbors. in one instance, neabs knew that a young couple was away from home, took pickup trucks and unloaded their house, moved it to safety before it washed off its foundation. these are the things that make america great. these are the things that make new mexico great. any time we see calamity, we have the opportunity to see the other side of america and it shines brightly. i yield back, mr. speaker. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. for what purpose does the gentleman from texas seek recognition? without objection, the gentleman is recognized for one

minute. >> today, mr. speaker, a young man was sentenced because he listened to the propaganda of an organization i consider a hate group this group says if you don't agree with them if you don't follow the line, you deserve to be on our list. they list the family research council, godly people, that their sole purpose, their sole purpose is to reach out to families. mr. stockman: this young man, reading literature from southern poverty law center, took it upon himself to feel that the family research counsell needed to be pun herbed this young man picked up a gun and went over there to murder people whose greatest desire was to promote family values. as he unloaded his gun, someone stopped him and today he was sentenced. but to this day we have not heard an apology from southern poverty law center. we have not heard any words from them criticizing those

actions. and to this day we don't hear apologies or we don't hear any cries for what that young man did. but the southern poverty law center continues to list an enemies list of anybody that disagrees with them politically. mr. speaker, i yield back the time but i'm waiting for their apology. thank you. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. for what purpose does the gentleman from pennsylvania seek reck necessary? without objection, the gentleman is recognized for one minute. >> mr. speaker, in the united states a child a diagnosed with cancer every 36 minutes. cancer remanes the leading cause of death by disease for chern under 15. each september is pediatric cancer awareness month. i would like to point out there's a program by hyundai motor an amendment at the desk and hyundai dealers, we have raised over $7 million dollars in the fight for cancer. mr. kelly: we can say that almost 85% of the children who

develop this dreaded disease survive. it's with great pride i'm here this evening, and i would like to say the hyundai -- say that hyundai awarded a grant to the university of pittsburgh hospital to help a doctor continue his care of children in the third district of pennsylvania and beyond. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: 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. we've had august to hear from our constituents and most of us have. and what we've been hearing is tragic. for every several hundred people that give us a story of how dramatically and badly their lives have been affected by obamacare, there's one or two that says, hey, my 26-year-old got to be on our family

insurance. not realizing republicans had agreed to do that, would have done that, along with some pre-existing condition fixes. but obamacare is devastating families and individuals across america. it's bad for america, it's bad for people's health. it's going to prevent seniors from getting the help they need, it's time when you know these things to stand up and stand for the health and well-being of people and this economy. let's defund obamacare. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. the chair lays before the house the following personal request. the clerk will read. the clerk: leave of absence requested for mr. rush of illinois for today, september 25 through september 29. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, the request is granted. under the speaker's announced policy of january 3, 2013, the gentleman from pennsylvania, mr.

kelly, is recognized for 60 minutes as the designee of the majority leader. mr. kelly: 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. kelly: mr. speaker, i rise today in opposition to the united nations arms trade treaty, which secretary kerry signed today at a u.n. ceremony on behalf of the united states. my opposition and my colleagues' opposition is not a republican agenda. it is the defense of all americans' right as enshrined in our constitution and in our bill of rights. the obama administration's participation in the arms trade treaty has left a trail of broken promises. and all in the forms of red lines. this administration has laid out and later abandoned, and aide like to talk about a few of them right now. mr. speaker, i would like to submit into the record the state

department's webpage listing key .s. red lines for the a.t.t. now, one of these red lines says, the second amendment to the constitution must be upheld. but the treaty contains only weak, nonbinding reference to civilian ownership and fails to uphold the fundamental individual rights to keep and to bear arms that is enshrined in our second amendment. furthermore, the treaty encourages nations to collect the identities of owners of imported firearms. it creates the core of a national gun register -- registry that violates existing u.s. law. but it doesn't stop there. the arms trade treaty requires nations to report the data they collect to the united nations. if this data contains information on individual owners, it would constitute a serious, dangerous privacy violation. now it sounds like this

administration doesn't take this second amendment red line very seriously. another red line says, the a.t.t. negotiations must have consensus decision making to allow us to protect u.s. he can whichities. now, -- equitys. in the u.s. -- equities. in the u.s. that means aanymority. but when that failed, the obama administration supported the a.t.t.'s adoption of a simple majority role vote in the united nations general assembly. the administration broke its own most important red line. now, the u.s. regularly demands that negotiations are conducted by consensus to protect our interests and our sovereignty. which is critical when the u.s. is in the minority or when we are standing alone in the u.n. now, by breaking their own red line, this administration has seriously reduced u.s. credibility. because other countries now know

that if they push hard enough, america will accept a majority rule vote. in february, 2010, undersecretary of state stated, if the whole world does not sign on, then the a.t.t. is less than useless. a number of key nation states, including such stalwarts of freedom and liberty, russia, china and others like india, indonesia, iran and north korea, among many others, do not support the arms trade treaty. therefore the united nations arms trade treaty is less than useless. you see, a.t.t. less than useless? or is consensus just another red line that the obama administration doesn't take very seriously? today secretary kerry said, this treaty will not diminish anyone's freedom. here is yet but another promise. do we really think it's credible?

last month the obama administration took executive action to ban the import of korean war-era vintage, collectible m-1 rifles on public safety grounds. these are collectors items. this shows how this administration's actions can be used to choke off firearms imports. united nations arms trade treaty will only encourage more mischief. it only holds the good accountable and leds -- and lets the bad do what they want. in the real world, promises do matter. we have made commitments to provide arms to key allies, such as the republic of china, taiwan, and the state of israel. what do these promises really mean to president obama? and what message does the a.t.t. send to our allies? and they wonder, is america really there for us when we need them, or is this just more talk? more empty words? the american people have had enough of the obama administration's broken promises and phony, nonexistent red lines

on the a.t.t. i urge my colleagues to join together to oppose the a.t.t. at this time, mr. speaker, i would like to yield some time to my friend from oregon, mr. walden. mr. walden: i thank the gentleman, my friend and great defender of the united states constitution, mr. kelly of pennsylvania. this is a very troubling day. very troubling day. for those of us who believe in our freedom in america and our ights under the constitution and every day defend america's sovereignty. oregon's second congressional district is nearly 70,000 square miles. that's a lot of ground. it's home to some of the best hunting in the west, including mule deer and elk, cougar, big-horned sheep and antelope and various water fowl and birds. oregonians' gun ownership dates

back to the oregon trail. a trail my ancestors crossed in 1845, when they helped settle the west. there was one hunter in baker city, oregon, who told me earlier this year, he said, congressman, you know why they call in the second district? it's because we believe in our second amendment rights. he's right. t today, about 10 hours ago, secretary of state john kerry signed a very vague u.n. treaty that leaves open the door to international influences, trampling on our second amendment rights to keep and bear arms and it encourages signatory nations to collect identities of owners who have imported firearms, setting the stage for a potential national gun registry and that is wrong. the united nations -- the united states is a sovereign nation. i strongly believe that our constitution, including our second amendment rights, must

by a treaty.ugated what's worse, we understand the administration who signed this treaty may now never send it to the senate for consideration. i view that as another blatant attempt by the obama administration to act unilaterally. they seem to do a lot of that these days. without the consent or the approval of congress. so i will strongly oppose not only this treaty, but also any funding to implement any policy related to this treaty and i will continue to uphold the oath of office at each -- that each one of us in this chamber took to defend our rights and freedoms as enshrined in that great document, the constitution, and to make sure that our constitution and our sovereign rights are always above any foreign treaty, including one that never even gets sent to the senate. i yield back to my colleague from pennsylvania. mr. kelly: i thank the gentleman. and i now recognize mr. lamborn

from colorado. mr. lamborn: thank you, congressman kelly, for hosting this important hour, to share with the american people the serious problems with the u.n. arms trade treaty. mr. speaker, as co-chairman of the house sovereignty caucus, i assure you, this ambiguous treaty poses serious threats to american national security, foreign policy and economic interests, as well as our constitutional rights. u.s. arms exports are among the safest in the world. the united states should reject the u.n.'s attempt to force us into a system that could jeopardize the safety of our citizens or those of our allies. this treaty includes small arms and light weapons within its scope, which covers firearms owned by law-abiding americans. it sets up a broad registration scheme that threatens the individual's firearms rights. the arms trade treaty also threatens the ability of the u.s. to protect our allies around the world. since it contains questionable

language that could be misused to prevent america from arming allies such as israel or taiwan. president obama knows that even members of his own party won't support this treaty in many cases. he must think that gun control must be pursued no matter what. in my own state of colorado, voters just recalled two state senators who pushed gun control against the wishes of their voters. these were historic elections because no colorado legislator had ever been recalled in the history of the state. i urge the members of the senate to reject this treaty and protect our second amendment rights and our national sovereignty. thank you, and i yield back to the gentleman from pennsylvania. mr. kelly: i thank my friend and i now recognize mr. collins from georgia. mr. collins: thank you, mr. speaker. i also thank you, my colleague from pennsylvania.

mr. speaker, i rise today to speak out against the dangerous u.n. arms trade treaty which was signed this morning by secretary kerry. this treaty will impact the united states sovereignty, encroach upon the second amendment rights and affect export policies. this agreement uses vague terms that are open for reinterpretation later. it leaves open the opportunity for current restrictions to be tightened at a later time. this has the potential of heavily influencing our nation's future policies without congressional consideration or approval. our second amendment liberties articulated in the bill of rights are put at a significant, inherent risk by this treaty. approximately 1/3 of domestic gun market is composed of imported firearms. the arms trade treaty encourages nations to collect the identities of the owners of imported firearms. this could be the beginning of a national gun registry, which

would violate current u.s. law. the treaty would also impose administrative burdens on the import and exports of small arms. this treaty would directly affect how u.s. handles foreign policy and the united states should be able to look into potential arms sales by weighing the risk, potential outcomes and goals of each trade. under the u.n. arms trade treaty , the u.s. will have to complete checklist of items before exporting arms, despite the destination, even if the destination is israel or taiwan. it will come as no surprise that the arms trade treaty is not being backed by russia, china, india, iran, north korea and numerous other nations. many of whom do not have our best interest in mind. in february, 2010, this was called less than useless if not supported by all nations. why is this administration now locking the united states into a treaty that other world powers have rejected? their unilateral decision to sign the treaty allows other

nations to trade arms knowing that the u.s. will be bound by a specific set of rules. like the majority of the folks in georgia's ninth district, i cannot understand why this administration would sign a treaty with such drastic implications for our nation's sovereignty and the right to bear arms at home. the united states should not join treaties outside the constitutionally can prescribed process which involves ratification by the senate. this is a concept this administration just amazingly seems to not understand, especially from a constitutional law professor. there's a reason the constitution dictates the method and manner by which the united states may enter into treaties. it is to ensure that the treaties so harmful to our freedoms, such as this arms trade treaty, is never signed or ratified. i strongly oppose this administration's endorsement of the u.n. arms trade treaty and will work with my colleagues to prevent this agreement from affecting the rights of our citizens. the executive branch does not and should not possess a blank check to legislate domestically

via international treaties. there is no treaty so important that it should not be allowed to -- that it should be allowed to restrict the rights of americans to exercise those freedoms enshrined in the constitution. the right to keep and bear arms is not dependent on a global agreement. we don't need russia and china giving their stamp of approval in order to speak freely in our homes and in our churches and we certainly don't need iran and north korea dictating our due process rights. i strongly oppose the u.n. arms trade treaty and everything it stands for and i do not and will not support the decision made by secretary kerry to sign this treaty. i thank the gentleman from pennsylvania for his tireless leadership on this issue and hosting this special order tonight. with that i yield back. >> i thank the gentleman and i recognize the gentleman, mr. hudson. mr. hudson: i joan my colleagues to voice the strongest on session to the united nations arms trade treaty. by signing this overreaching

treaty, the united states is crippling one of our most fundamental right the right to keep and bear arms. the second amendment is our most fundamental right because it ensures we can maintain our other rights. second, by their own admission, the president and his administration have said this vague treaty is difficult to interpret. why engage in an ambiguous and harmful agroment like this? finally the president's own state department said this treaty will have international implications for u.s. arms sales to israel and taiwan. why engage in an agroment that would damage our relationships with two of our strongest allies and give veto power to sell arms to our allies to other nations around the world. i spent the last weekend in a deer stand and cannot imagine allowing the laws of other countries to stop my ability and the ability of other americans to enjoy this tradition i've enjoyed my

entire life. the people i represent in north carolina can't understand why this administration is seeking to damage our personal liberty and the sovereignty of our great nation. i encourage our colleagues in the senate to do the same. i yield back to the gentleman from pennsylvania and thank him for his leadership on this issue. mr. kelly: i thank the gentleman from north carolina. his comments are very timely and very needed. have s time i'd like to mr. steve stockman of texas address the situation. mr. stockman: i'm apalled. our friend said republicans are in the bedroom. but we have a president collecting our phone records. collecting our medical records. and now wants to collect our gun records. where in the world and when do we say stop? even our friends in the media, the collected their records. and now we have a treaty, so-called treaty, with -- which

stamples -- stamps on our individual rights, tramples the constitution and robs of any kind of protection. they say don't worry about it, the senate will not ratify it but in the tradition of treaties, once a treaty is seened, our nation typically follows that treaty. yet we're seeing before us a president not listening to the people. time and time again these actions are taken when there's, like a magician, he's over here, focusing over here, he did this in a day in which a texas senator was speaking. this is all deseened for us to be asleep wheel our rights are being stripped. when is the american people fwoning to wake up and realize that the book "1984" has come about. your rights are being stripped and i hear nothing. my friend, bill murray, who is an unwilling participant in a

lawsuit to take prayer out of schools, said it best. his mother was an athiest who sued and he said, the greatest fear she had was that the american people would rise up but what happened was nothing. not a word was said. and today your rights were stripped and we hear silence. reminds me of when jesus in the -- praying and he turned to his disciples and they fell asleep, there was silence. go on, sleep. america, go on, sleep. your rights are being stripped and you say nothing. i yield back. mr. kelly: i thank the gentleman from texas. at this time i'd like to recognize jim bridenstine who represents oklahoma. mr. bridenstine: thank you, mr.

speaker. i'd like to thank the congressman, congressman kelly, for yielding me the time. would also like to thank nator inhofe of oklahoma who stands with senator cruz to defund obamacare. he's been standing with senator cruz from the beginning. already this year, the president tried to ban guns he thinks look scary. they don't operate any differently. they just look scary so he tried to ban them ref jected by congress, the president tried to create what is effectively a national gun registry. the american people and their representatives rejected that plan as well. in response, president obama today had his secretary of state sign what is effectively an international gun control treaty that will ult pat i -- ultimately force all of taos register our guns an our names

and our information into an international database. president obama once again demonstrated his hostility to the constitution, the second amendment and u.s. sovereignty by signing the u.s. arms trade treaty this president is fundamentally an tag that'sic toward both our constitutional right to keep an bear arms and american independence from national bodies. why is the u.n. arms trade treaty so deages? first it's ambiguously worried. its basic terms are not dephoned which permits gun-grabbing u.n. bureaucrats the widest possible interpretive scope. we know the u.n. gun grabbers will interpret this treaty just as loosely as the president interprets the constitution of the united states. second, the arms trade treaty is a direct shot at the second amendment of the constitution. lawful ownership and use of firearms including for self-defense are basic constitutional rights. the treaty does not recognize

this. in fact the arms trade treaty, quote, encourages government to collect the identities of venl end users of important firearms at the national level, end quote. this is the core of the national gun registry. the treaty also creates a national, quote, responsibility to prevent the, quote, diversion of firearms for illegal trade. since elist trade is not defined, does this men one american selling a gun to another american counts as illegal? whose to say? groups leek amnesty international have stated that the arms trade treaty is a start down the path of control of domestic gun sales. this is international gun control prain and simple. the arms trade treaty is consistent with the president's policy of ceding more u.s. sovereignty to international

bodies. he's signed treaties that to nothing except reduce american sovereign the. they limit the rights of children, the elimination of discrimination against women. does this men the yeats finds no morally compelling interest in protecting disabled persons, chern or women? of course not. u.s. domestic law imposes far higher standards of protection than many of they have country who was ratified all three of these treaties. freblings, such beacons of human freedom askew ba and china, nigeria, russia, and syria have ratified all three of these treaties. north korea and iran have ratified two of the three. unlike the rest of the country the united states upholds its trooty obligations. this is the perfect example of a trend in international legal thinking called transnationalism. the goal of transnationalism is

to, quote, circumvent existing legislatures and quote down load so-called global norms. we've heard the president talked about tpwhrobal norms add nauseam but the idea is to circumvent resistant legislators and down load global norm into u.s. and other demest exlaw. let me say that again. the transnationalists pushing the arms trade treaty like amnesty international cant to tissue want to avoid congress, want to avoid us, the people's representatives, and impose international law from foreign bodies. mr. speaker, perhaps the pro arms trade treaty supporters need a lesson in the u.s. constitution. the constitution is the supreme law of the land of we choose those that govern us and under which laws we live. we should not give up our god given rights and liberties to foreign bodies such as the united nations. the second amendment is not up for debate and individual -- and the vedge right of americans to keep an bear arms is not a matter of discussion

for foreigners. the president will treat the arms trade treaty as binding on america no matter what the senate does. he can't impose gun control in congress so he's going to use an international treaty enstead. i pray the senate rip this is treaty to pieces and the next president removes america's signature and with it this hideous ea salt on our constitution. thank you so much and i yield back. mr. kelly: thank you, mr. bridenstine. at this time i recognize the member from mississippi one, mr. nunnelee. mr. nunnelee: thank you, mr. speaker. i want to thank my friend from pennsylvania for yield bug also for his leadership on this important issue. i rise in strong opposition to the united nations arms trade treaty. the obama administration has a disturbing tendency to favor international regulation over

american sovereignty. this arms trade treaty is just the latest example. the government of the united by we the reated people. we the people established the constitution in order to limit that government. but as a condition of establishing that constitution, we the people insists a bill of rights be adopted, a bill of rights that would guarantee every citizen of our nation rights. an important plank in that bill of rights encludes the right to keep and bear arms. and it's guaranteed by our constitution. under no circumstances should we ever agree to a treaty that undermines on that right. this arms trade treaty encourages nations to collect

the identities of owners of imported firearms which constitutes the core of a national gun registry. the treaty also rears nations to report the data they collect to the united nations. if that data contains information on individual gun owners, it would be a serious violation of privacy. the treaty could also restrict the ability of the united states to conduct foreign policy and to sell arms to our allies such as israel. we've steen in recent months what happens when we rely on the international community to act on america's interest. russia, china, and the rest of the united nations should never be given veto authority over american foreign policy and we should never, ever subject the united states constitution to the whims of the united

nations. the second amendment is sacred. we should always stand up and protect it and that's why i strongly oppose the united nations arms treaty and urge the united states senate to reject it forthrightly. i yield back. mr. kelly: i thank the gentleman from mississippi. mr. speaker, we've heard from a number of members tonight and i think this is a day we really have to reflect back and look at mixed messages. back in 2009 at a nato summit, in strasbourg, france, the president said, i believe in american exceptionalism. just as i suspect the brits believe in british exceptionalism and the greeks believe in greek exceptionalism. yesterday, the president stood in front of the united nations to say, some may disagrow but i believe america is exceptional

in part because we have shown a willingness through the sacrifice of blood and treasure to stand up not only for our own narrow self-interests but or the interests of all. i would just like to suggest to the president that integrity is defined by saying what you mean and meaning what you say. taking a moment to express something that may or may not be the true core value of who you are and what you believe is not acceptable. what makes us truly exceptional as americans is we are there every day in every way to those who we told we would be. the u.s. has the most sophisticated arms export control system in the world. it has commonly been called the gold standard. and that term gold standard was used by then secretary of state hillary clinton. yet this arms trade treaty does nothing at all to improve our system. we not only have laws on the

export of arms, we actually enforce them. people can and regularly do go to jail for breaking those laws. now the arms trade treaty will not improve systems in other countries, which in many cases actually have no system at all. there's a lot more to running an effective arms export control system than simply signing a piece of paper and using your signature to express something that's not truly in your heart. there's so much vagueness with this arms trade treaty. our regulations describing what we control are the most sophisticated in the world. it is really extremely difficult to evade them with word games. we mean what we say and we say what we mean. it's just integrity. simple. the arms trade treaty by contrast is so vague it offers many opportunities for neighs to claim they are complying with the treaty while realy carrying on as normal. .