you can watch all this hearing later, also in our video library at www.c-span.org. u.s. house is gaveling in next for legislative work is afternoon. a handful of bills, including two measures doing with the authority of the labor department. the speaker: the house will be in order. the prayer will be offered today by our guest chaplain, reverend jack gibbs, calvary hills church, chino, california. the chaplain: shall we pray. almighty god and father, if it be your will that we be revised as a nation, hear my prayer. i ask that you to make us a thankful people, that we would bless you, the author of abundant mercies, enable us to display a gratitude for all your goodness by endeavoring to fear and obey you. bless us with your wisdom in this house.

success in our battles and let our prosperity be tempered with generosity. we pray that you keep the united states in your holy protection and that you incline your heart toward us to cultivate a spirit of peace and obedience to both you and your government. humbly in uld walk that love that was characteristic of your son, the author of our blessed faith. grant us this prayer through jesus christ, our lord. amen. the speaker: the chair has examined the journal of the last day's proceedings and announces to the house his approval thereof. pursuant to clause 1 of rule 1 the journal stands approved. the pledge of allegiance today will be led by the gentleman from illinois, mr. quigley. mr. quigley: i pledge allegiance to the flag of the united states of america and to the republic for which it stands, one nation under god, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.

the speaker: the chair will receive a message. the messenger: mr. speaker, a message from the senate. the secretary: mr. speaker. the speaker: madam secretary. the secretary: i have been directed by the senate to inform the house that the senate has passed s. 893, cited as the veterans compensation cost-of-living adjustment act of 2013, in which the concurrence of the house is requested. the speaker: without objection. the gentleman from california is recognized for one minute. >> thank you, mr. speaker. it's my honor to have my good friend and my pastor, jack, with us today to do the opening prayer. he's a senior pastor with calvary chapel chino hills. he has an incredible mission going on in california, plus, he has a global ministry on the radio going and he does an amazing job preaching god's word and i am glad to have him with us today. thank you. the speaker pro tempore: the chair will entertain 15 further

requests for one-minute speeches on each side of the aisle. for what purpose does the gentleman from south carolina seek recognition? mr. wilson: mr. speaker, i ask unanimous consent to address the house for one minute and to revise and extend my remarks. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, the gentleman from south carolina is recognized for one minute. mr. wilson: mr. speaker, constituents living across south carolina's second congressional district have communicated very sincere concerns about the implementation of obamacare. sarah from nauert augusta writes, quote, people should not -- from north augusta writes, quote, people should not be punished when we grow old. what services can be provided should not be done. justin from columbia said, quote, the full implementation of obamacare will be a disaster for america and the american people. not only is it a direct assault on our freedom, it also puts the government in the middle of our health care decision. increases cost and will

inevitably end to a single payer system, end of quote. as the rollout of obamacare continues to fail, congress must act to address this problem now before it's too late and every american family falls victim to this unworkable law which destroys jobs. in conclusion, god bless our jobs and we will never forget september 11 and the global war on terrorism. the speaker pro tempore: the time of the gentleman from south carolina has expired. for what purpose does the gentleman from illinois seek recognition? >> i ask unanimous consent to address the house for one minute and to revise and extend. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, the gentleman from illinois is recognized for one minute. mr. quigley: thank you, mr. speaker. mr. speaker, i rise today to commemorate the 80th anniversary of ukraine's man-made famine and genocide. the great man-made famine was executed under joseph stalin's communist rule to eradicate culture, social institutions. under stalin's regime, the ukrainian people were stripped f their land and grain and left to starve.

which was once the breadbasket of europe, it was forced famine that ultimately took the lives of over six million innocent men, women and children. but stalin's attempt to schedule much the spirit of the -- squelch the spirit of the ukrainian people failed. we will remember those whose lives were taken by the man-made genocide. the museum will celebrate the strong and vibrant people of the nation of ukraine that strives today. thank you. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. for what purpose does the gentleman from illinois seek recognition? >> i ask unanimous consent to address the house for one minute and to revise and extend. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, the gentleman from illinois is recognized for one minute. >> thank you, mr. speaker. i was stunned to see russian president vladimir putin disparage american exceptionalism a few weeks ago. mr. putin's human rights records have a right to be desired. a statement severely persecuted by top russian authorities in

putin's government solely for ethnicity and religion. during his first term, there was a group of special humanitarian concern. since then 12,000 turks have resettled in america, including many in illinois and in my district. however, 80,000 turks remain in russia and undergo persecution in areas of our lives that we often take for granted. -- unable to he return, there have been refugees in russia and asia. this is the reality of putin's russia. people are discriminated against, tore turd and even killed and are economically and financially repressed. when given freedom to chase the american dream, these same hispanica turks fulfill their potential in less than a decade. i let my colleagues to make their own determination about which nation is exceptional. i yield back.

the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman's time has expired. for what purpose does the gentleman from connecticut seek recognition? mr. courtney: i ask unanimous consent to address the house for one minute and to revise and extend my remarks. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, the gentleman from connecticut is recognized for one minute. mr. courtney: the government announced yesterday good news for seniors. their medicare part b premiums for 2014 will go up zero dollars and zero cents. it will stay at $104 per month. this is now the third year in a row that c.m.s. medicare part b premiums have defied the trustee's prediction to come in lower than projected and also defies the relentless campaign of misinformation that seniors have been subjected to that their medicare part b premiums were going to go up. just on friday i was at senior fair where a woman showed me a chain email that medicare part b premiums for 2014 were going up to $227 a month. just a viral infection that has been out there that have been confronted with senior centers over and over again. well, the facts are they are going up zero.

medicare part b premiums have stabilized. prescription drug costs have gone down because of closing the doughnut hole. in every respect, the affordable care act, since it passed in 2010, has been a winner for seniors and have helped strengthen the solvency of the program. again, medicare part b premiums are going up zero for 2014. i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman's time has expired. for what purpose does the gentleman from tennessee seek recognition? >> i ask unanimous consent to address the house for one minute and to revise and extend my remarks. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, the gentleman from tennessee is recognized for one minute. mr. desjarlais: mr. speaker, i rise today to commend an exceptional young leader in tennessee's fourth district. elizabeth etheridge recently received the legion of valor bronze cross, a testament to her strong work ethic to her junior rotc battalion. she is exceptionally well-rounded. she's ranked in the top 10% of -- class and in her

addition to her service, she is one of six bronze cross recipients competing against cadets for more than 200 schools. last month, she was presented the award at the board of education meeting. she hopes to attend vanderbilt university to study medicine and one day join doctors without borders. i wish her luck in her future endeavors and i know she will make our fourth district proud. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. for what purpose does the gentleman from michigan seek recognition? >> mr. speaker, i seek unanimous consent to address the house for one minute. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, the gentleman from michigan is recognized for one minute. >> thank you, mr. speaker. this week unfortunately food stamps will be cut by $5 billion. we expected that. mr. kildee: what's worse is even more deeper cuts could follow. conferees start negotiating a

farm bill this week, and billions of dollars -- in fact, $40 billion have been -- in cuts have been proposed by republicans in the house. 10 times the amount of cuts passed in the bipartisan bill in the senate. i've talked to dozens of people in my district who since i've been here in congress have come up to me and said, you know, thank you for fighting to preserve the food stamp program. i've never told anybody, they say, but i received food stamps at one point in my life. so thank you for fighting. i'm afraid that many members of congress don't know what it's like to be poor in america. these are real people, real human beings, and the cuts that we contemplate here are not numbers on a piece of paper, but it's cuts that would literally take food out of the mouths of people who are hungry. this is wrong. it cannot stand, and i urge my colleagues to fight to preserve

this important program. thank you. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman's time has expired. for what purpose does the gentleman from maryland seek recognition? >> i ask unanimous consent to address the house for one minute and to revise and extend my remarks. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, the gentleman from maryland is recognized for one minute. >> mr. speaker, another day goes by and the obamacare train wreck continues. in 2009, president obama promised that if you like your health care plan you can keep it. mr. harris: on the healthcare.gov website if and when you can get on that website, it promises. when are the false promises going to end? what do i say to gail in maryland who wrote me the quote, i've been informed of blue cross blue shield of maryland that i cannot keep my current coverage and will have to change my policy? i have to pay 53% more in premiums for coverage that is not as good. my husband and i will now have to pay at least $330 more per month for less coverage. mr. speaker, gail and her family will lose the plan they like and will have to pay

almost $4,000 more per year for a plan that delivers less. mr. speaker, american families deserve better than false promises. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from maryland yields back. for what purpose does the gentleman from texas seek recognition? >> mr. speaker, i ask unanimous consent to address the house for one minute and to revise and extend my remarks. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, the gentleman from texas is recognized for one minute. mr. veasey: mr. speaker, i want to talk to you today about the importance of responsible budget and in our government. budgets are moral documents that reflect our priorities as a nation. for the sake of our economy, this congress must turn back from the current brinksmanship and obstruction and return to the practice of negotiation and compromise. the proposed budget and across-the-board spending cuts to domestic programs are continuing to splam families, children, -- slam families, children, seniors and impact to texas that include $9 billion

to cuts in snap benefits over 10 years. almost $32 billion in cuts for texas seniors and the loss of over 5,000 jobs for our texas educators. we should focus on improving our education, strengthening old infrastructure, investing in advanced domestic manufacturing and paving the way for the future. let's show the american people that compromise and negotiation are not a thing of the past and washington can work together on their behalf. as elected leaders, we owe it to the american people to do the jobs we were sent here to do. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman's time has expired. for what purpose does the gentleman from indiana seek recognition? >> thank you, mr. speaker. i seek unanimous consent to address the house for one minute. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, the gentleman from indiana is recognized for one minute. >> thank you, mr. speaker. if you like your health plan, you will be able to keep your health plan, that's what the president said in 2009. reporting news is

that this administration knew for at least three years that wasn't true. now, hardworking americans in the individual market will not be able to keep their plans, even if they like them. people across the nation are experiencing sticker shock as they receive cancellation letters from their insurers. mr. messer: and see their monthly premiums rise up to 400%. more people have received cancellation letters and have been rolled so far through all of the affordable care act exchanges. the affordable care act has proven to be anything but. it's time for the president and my democratic colleagues to work with us to suspend this flawed law and work to fix it. we have to find a better way to deliver the reforms people really need because this law isn't working. thank you, mr. speaker.

the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman's time has expired. for what purpose does the gentleman from new york seek recognition? >> i seek unanimous consent to address the house for one minute. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, the gentleman from new york is recognized for one minute. >> mr. speaker, the house will consider a number of bills to honor and support our veterans. mr. higgins: these are good bills but they are not enough. a good and generous nation would also make sure that a strong commitment is made to helping our veterans find work when they return home. mr. speaker, the current unemployment rate for post-9/11 veterans is 10%, and among yurning veterans between the ages of 18 and -- young veterans between the ages of 18 and 24 is 20%. e not for profit helmet-to-hardhats help returning veterans prepare for work in the construction trades. we must also be sure that veterans have the ability to get the educational benefits they deserve. the veterans educational

flexibility act would do. including nation building right here at home, we can create good american jobs that can't be outsourced and give back to those who served our nation. i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. for what purpose does the gentleman from north carolina seek recognition? >> mr. speaker, i ask unanimous consent to address the house for one minute and to revise and extend my remarks. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, the gentleman from north carolina is recognized for one minute. . mr. holding: without a limit on spending until mid february, the federal government continues to borrow more than it takes in and spend at an outrageous rate. the fact is, mr. speaker, at a spending rate of $375 billion a week, u.s. debt would be over $22 trillion by the next debt ceiling deadline. this is unacceptable and unsustainable. mr. speaker, the reason we have found ourselves in fiscal rut is because of outrageous, frivolous

government spending. we have to come to the table and do more to cut spending in the next debt deal. this includes comprehensive tax reform to make our tax code less burdensome and changes to our entitlement programs to ensure that they are working as they should for future generations. american families know that they cannot spend limitlessly and never pay their bills. our federal government should not be any different and it's time to break our bad spending habits. mr. speaker, i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman's time has expired. for what purpose does the gentlelady from california seek recognition? >> mr. speaker, i ask unanimous consent to address the house for one minute. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, the gentlelady from california is recognized for one minute. ms. hahn: thank you, mr. speaker. the affordable care act is more than a website, it's affordable quality health insurance made available to everyone. and what my friend on the other side of the aisle like to keep talking about bad stories, there's some good stories about the affordable care act and i have one of them. it's sara and joe, parents of two small children from los

angeles who have been working very hard every day to provide for their families while they were paying a high health care premium every month. just last month they were paying $1,259 a month for cobra. last week they got on the exchange and they enrolled in a blue cross silver 70 plan and are now paying more than $400 less a month. less a month. sara shared with us, we are a family of four with two young kids and regular access to doctors is a must for us. this plan does that. the recent problems people have encountered on the website are unacceptable and they are being fixed, but let's not allow these temporary glitches to overshadow the life changing benefits that the affordable care act is bringing to millions of american families like sara and joe. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady's time has expired. for what purpose does the gentlelady from north carolina seek recognition? ms. foxx: i ask unanimous consent to address the house for

one minute. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. the gentlelady from north carolina is recognized for one minute. ms. foxx: thank you, mr. speaker. people want to be able to trust their president. when he said if you like your plan you can keep your plan, many americans believed him. but keeping the insurance you like was never a real possibility under obamacare. by design the law requires every single new health plan and any existing plan that's been altered over the past three years to satisfy the one-size-fits-all requirements of washington's central planners. that means millions of americans are losing their current coverage, even though many like their plans, plans that were tailored to work for them, meet their specific needs and fit into their family budgets. unsurprisingly though when placating bureaucrats is the rule, patients can't be the focus. the president did say if you like your plan you can keep your plan, but he simultaneously championed a law that replaced custom care with cookie cutter care. millions are being booted from

their health plans as a result. i yield back, mr. speaker. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady yields back. for what purpose does the gentlelady from north carolina seek recognition? -- new york seek recognition? >> to address the house for one minute. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, the gentlelady from new york is recognized for one minute. mrs. maloney: mr. speaker, one year ago today new york city and the entire eastern seaboard were ravaged by superstorm sandy. entire communities were shattered. families were torn apart, and lives were lost. in new york city, the water level was so high it was covering cars. the nation's largest and busiest mass transit system closed down for the first time in a century. 8 1/2 million people lost their power and some still do not have it returned, and 125 americans lost their lives. the gratitude i feel for all those who help their friends and neighbors is hard to express. there are a great number of we sorely heroans and

needed them. fema has approved over $3.2 billion in funding for emergency work. over $1.4 billion in assistance to over 182,000 survivors. the small business administration has approved $2.4 billion in low interest loans, and the national flood insurance program has provided more than $7.9 billion to policyholders. i would like to thank all of my colleagues and all those who stepped up to help during these difficult times. new york and others are deeply grateful. thank you. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady's time has expired. for what purpose does the gentleman from michigan seek recognition? >> unanimous consent to address the house for one minute. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, the gentleman from michigan is recognized for one minute. >> mr. speaker, over an over and over again the president told the american people, if you like your health plan you can keep it. in that were 2r50u why then is keyser health news reporting health plans are sending hundreds of thousands of cancellation letters to people

who buy their own coverage. mr. walberg: conconsumers -- some consumers are now being forced to buy more costly policies, and folks turn to government for help if they turn to healthcare.gov they'll be met with so many glitches to make signing up almost impossible. mr. speaker, this is simply not fair. nor is it fair that the president wants to fine people who can't sign up using his own faulty website. house republicans want to promote fair solutions that create more jobs for all americans. that's how we are going to get our economy growing. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. for what purpose does the gentlelady from nevada seek recognition? ms. titus: unanimous consent to address the house for one minute. the speaker pro tempore: without, the gentlelady is recognized for one minute. ms. titus: the annual battle for nevada between the university of nevada las vegas and the university of nevada at reno is not just a football game played once a year, it's a time-honored tradition that reflects the best

of nevada's sports rivalries. the victor not only wins bragging rights for a year but also the coveted fremont cannon which is painted in the winning school colors. for eight long year, ren reno has claimed these spoils. but this past saturday, unlv celebrated its first victory against the wolfpack since 2004 and the long anticipated return of the fremont cannon come to las vegas. so congratulations to unlv's coach and all of the rebels for their 27-22 victory against unr. you have made southern nevada proud. as part of our friendly wager placed on the game in honor of make a difference day, my colleague, mark amodei, from nevada's second district and i will be performing a community service project wearing rebel red. thank you. go rebels. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady yields back. for what purpose does the

gentlelady from hawaii seek recognition? >> i request unanimous consent to address the house for one minute. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, the gentlelady from hawaii is recognized for one minute. ms. hanabusa: thank you, mr. speaker. as a member of the house sustainable energy and environment coalition, i rise today to recognize the one-year anniversary of superstorm sandy and remember those who tragically lost their lives, as well as those continuing to rebuild from that destruction. in the years since superstorm sandy ravaged the east coast, communities across the nation have suffered through new extreme droughts, storms, wildfires, and flooding. my home state of hawaii is incredibly vulnerable to the effects of climate change. as you can imagine a sea level rise is a real threat and concern for us. earlier this year honolulu joined more than 70 other u.s. communities asking for the president to cut greenhouse gas

emissions that are driving climate change and increasing hawaii's risk of extreme weather events and sea level rise. when i was in the hawaii legislature, i'm proud to say we passed a bill, and we were one of the first states to address the greenhouse gas emissions. as we reflect on this somber anniversary, i remain committed to ensure people of hawaii have the resources to prepare, respond, and recover from devastation. we must all remember it is climate change. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady's time has expired. for what purpose does the gentleman from california seek recognition? >> to address the house for one minute. revise and extend my remarks. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, the gentlewoman from california is recognized for one minute. >> mr. speaker, i hope that the american people have fully understood what's been going on here for the that is six weeks. mr. rohrabacher: the republicans offered what? the republicans offered to delay

obamacare as a compromise position in order to have the continuing resolution to keep our government going. that compromise was rejected and we were called all kinds of names, then we were told we were the one that is closed down government. now take a look what's happened. obamacare, this disaster that's taking place, the glitches, all of the problems we know now obamacare wasn't even ready. the president and the country needed the extra time in order to perfect obamacare, but he would rather have closed it down, our government, rather than reach a compromise with the house of representatives. that's what this is all about. we had arrogance on the part of our chief executive unwilling to negotiate with the house and what was the house offering? time to delay obamacare so it could work. now the american people are not

only suffered a closure, but now are suffering from an obamacare that is not ready to be launched. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman's time has expired. the chair reminds members to refrain from engaging in personalities. for what purpose does the gentlelady from connecticut seek recognition? >> i ask unanimous consent to address the house for one minute. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, the gentlelady from connecticut is recognized for one minute. ms. esty: thank you, mr. speaker. i rise today to offer my congratulations and support to astronaut rick, one of nasa's best and brightest and proud son of waterbury, connecticut. he and two colleagues will launch on a mission to the internags space station on november 6, prig along a package of geotracking tags from waterbury elementary school students. he will spend six months on the i.s.f., conduct several hundred experiments, and return to earth in may. he attended cross bury high school, and received his bachelor of science degree in electrical engineering and

computer science from the university of connecticut. he's a veteran of three space flights having logged nearly 40 days in space. he continues to be an inspiration for students back home in connecticut and around the world. we wish him the best of luck and a safe journey. thank you. i yield back my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady yields back. for what purpose does the gentleman from texas seek recognition? >> to address the house for one minute. revise and extend. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, the gentleman from texas is recognized for one minute. >> thank you, mr. speaker. mr. conaway: just how the unaffordable care act as i'm often corrected back home in district 11, let's look at recent headlines about the launch of the new website. the "orlando sentinel" called it a hit or miss proposition. cnn called it, americans are still having a tough time. what an understatement. we all know how about the obamacare website built with taxpayer dollars is riddled with glitches. but it's a bad website. the only problems americans face not by a long shot. how about those premiums

shooting up all over america for affordable health care? last job report shows our economy is still struggling with higher insurance costs will not help hardworking americans solve those problems. this is not what we are promised. but it's exactly what we are getting out of the unaffordable care act. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. for what purpose does the gentleman from illinois seek recognition? >> unanimous consent to address the house for one minute. revise and extend my remarks. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, the gentleman from illinois is recognized for one minute. mr. >> thank you, mr. speaker. i rise in support of the 10th anniversary of lyndonwood university campus in bellevue, illinois. on november 3, 2003, lyndonwood acquired the 22 acre site of the old high school. 52 students enrolled in evening classes that semester. in the decades since lyndonwood university bellville has grown into a strong and vibrant institution that contributes much to the interest of bellville and the higher education choices of southern

illinois. today lyndonwood has over 1,000 full-time students enrolled in a wide range of academic programs with hundreds more in graduate, continuing education, and specialized programs. mr. enyart: this past spring i had the high honor of adoctorsing graduates at the first commencement exercise. i quoted lyndonwood university's mission statement to provide programs leading to the development of the whole person and educated responsible citizen of a global community. . in the first decade, they have done just that. i congratulate them on its 10th anniversary and wish the entire campus community much continued success. 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 from texas is recognized for one minute. mr. sessions: thank you, mr. speaker. mr. speaker, more and more news continues to come to light about the poor workmanship that went into the obama

administration's website for obamacare. it's a problem, it's a mistake and americans are dealing with it all across america. the associated press reports, and i quote this, that folks in the administration saw red flags for months. and "the washington post" said that bureaucrats insisted on plowing ahead despite this known failure that would lie ahead. so, mr. speaker, we would ask a question. why are the american people going to be required to be in a health care system other than the one they chose? and the answer is because president obama and democrats passed a law years ago that is something that the american people do not want and were misled into. premiums are skyrocketing and most -- and some insurers are kicking people off their plan that they were on entirely. mr. speaker, republicans have a plan for the future, and it

allows people to have their own doctor, their own insurance company and to make their own decisions. i yield back my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman's time has expired. for what purpose does the gentleman from colorado seek recognition? >> to address the house for one minute. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, the gentleman from colorado is recognized for one minute. mr. perlmutter: thank you, mr. speaker. good afternoon. as a member of the house sustainible energy and environmental coalition, i rise today to recognize the one-year anniversary of superstorm sandy and remember those who tragically lost their lives as well as those continuing to rebuild from the destruction. my constituents in colorado understand the pain that comes with extreme weather events. having recently suffered from devastating and historic flooding and fires. the flooding killed nine people, damaged or destroyed almost 18,000 homes and businesses across the state, damage to our roads and bridges is estimated to be $450

million, and our cities and counties say another $170 million in infrastructure damage. if floods were not the only severe weather events in colorado this year, wildfires, numerous wildfires and droughts destroyed property and crops and took lives. i applaud the president for putting forth his climate action plan in an effort to implement meaningful policies that are slowing the effects of climate change. congress should take further action to minimize the impacts of these natural disasters and to better understand our weather patterns. we will and we must work together to rebuild stronger and smarter and to better prepare for future natural disasters that are becoming all too common because of the real impacts of climate change. thank you, mr. speaker, and i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman's time has expired. for what purpose does the

gentlelady from connecticut eek recognition? without objection, the gentlelady from connecticut is recognized for one minute. ms. delauro: i want to share, mr. speaker, a letter i received from a constituent of mine. her name is mary ann. she's from milford, connecticut. she's suffering from cancer. she wrote to me during the recent republican government shutdown and she wrote, and i quote. i'm attaching a picture i snapped of the statement i received from my insurance company regarding my chemotherapy treatment of the month of july which was one treatment. over $110,000. she goes on, i'm grateful that i have insurance right now, but it's cobra. it's expensive. it runs out in 18 months. if the affordable care act is not in place in 18 months, i will never be able to get insurance or treatment. this is real for me. it is life or death for me, and

i am grateful that president obama is not willing to negotiate with my life as this nation is held hostage by political terrorists. mr. speaker, i receive calls and letters like this every single week. the affordable care act is already making a profound difference for individuals and their families. those on the other side of the aisle, who talk about it's not necessary, they have health insurance. they have it. why is it that this body goes on to say no to health insurance for the millions of americans out there? this body needs to stop partisan political games, let the affordable care act work for families. it's a matter of life or death. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady's time has expired. for what purpose does the gentlelady from california seek recognition? >> to address the house for one minute. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, the gentlelady from california is recognized for one minute. >> thank you. mr. speaker, as a member of the house sustainible energy and environmental coalition, i rise today to recognize the one-year

anniversary of superstorm sandy and to remember those who tragically lost their lives, their homes and so much of the communities that they knew. mrs. davis: the storm's crippling impact still persists up and down the east coast. while we cannot blame climate change for any one event, all of these natural disasters, taken together, are undeniable evidence of a looming man-made disaster. my constituents in california are also struggling to deal with climate change. in my state, 12 of the 20 most damaging wildfires occurred in the last 10 years, and crops have been decimated due to rising temperatures and water scarcity. we need to ask ourselves, what have we learned from sandy? what have we learned from other disasters, and what can we do to prevent the next one? this problem has no party.

compelling rsonal issue than the fact it does have a human problem and it is time to put aside our partisan differences and start working together to address these issues. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady's time has expired. for what purpose does the gentleman from texas seek recognition? mr. sessions: good morning, mr. speaker. by the direction of the committee on rules, i call up house resolution 391 and ask for its immediate consideration. the speaker pro tempore: the clerk will report the resolution. the clerk: house calendar number 69, house resolution 391, resolved, that upon the adoption of this resolution it shall be in order to consider in the house the bill h.r. 992, to amend provisions in section 716 of the dodd-frank wall street reform and consumer protection act relating to federal assistance for swaps entities. all points of order against consideration of the bill are waived. the bill shall be considered as read. all points of order against

provisions in the bill are waived. the previous question shall be considered as ordered on the bill to final passage without intervening motion except, one, one hour of debate equally divided among and controlled by the chair and ranking minority member of the committee on agriculture and the chair and ranking minority member of the committee on financial services. two, one motion to recommit. section 2, upon adoption of this resolution it shall be in order to consider in the house the bill h.r. 2374, to amend the securities exchange act of 1934 to provide protections for retail customers, and for other purposes. all points of order against consideration of the bill are waived. in lieu of the amendment in the nature of a substitute recommended by the committee on financial services now printed in the bill, an amendment in the nature of a substitute consisting of the text of rules committee print 113-23 shall be considered as adopted. the bill, as amended, shall be considered as read. all points of order against

provisions in the bill, as amended, are waived. the previous question shall be considered as ordered on the bill, as amended, and on any further amendment thereto, to final passage without intervening motion except, one, one hour of debate equally divided and controlled by the chair and ranking minority member of the committee on financial services, two, the further amendment printed in the report of the committee on rules accompanying this resolution, if offered by representative george miller of california or his designee, which shall be in order without intervention of any point of order, shall be considered as read, shall be separately debatable for 20 minutes equally divided and controlled by the proponent and an opponent, and shall not be subject to a demand for division of the question, and three, one motion to recommit with or without instructions. section 3, notwithstanding section 1002 of the continuing appropriations act, 2014, a, a

motion to proceed under such section, one, may be offered even if the committee to which a joint resolution has been referred has not reported or been discharged, and, two, shall be in order only on the legislative day of tuesday, october 29, 2013, or the legislative day of wednesday, october 30, 2013, and b, a joint resolution under such section shall be debatable for one hour equally divided and controlled by the proponent and an opponent. section 4, on any legislative day during the period from october 31, 2013, through november 11, 2013, a, the journal of the proceedings of the previous day shall be considered as approved, and, b, the chair may at any time declare the house adjourned to meet at a date and time, within the limits of clause 4, section 5, article 1 of the constitution, to be announced by the chair in declaring the adjournment.

section 5, the speaker may appoint members to perform the duties of the chair for the duration of the period addressed by section 4 of this resolution as though under lause 8-a of rule 1. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from texas is recognized for one hour. mr. sessions: mr. speaker, for the purposes of debate only, i yield the customary 30 minutes to the gentleman from, my friend from boulder, colorado, mr. polis, pending which i yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. sessions: during consideration of this resolution, all time is yielded for purpose of debate only. mr. speaker, i ask unanimous consent that all members may have five legislative days to revise and extend their remarks . the speaker pro tempore: without objection. mr. sessions: house resolution 391 provides for a structured rule of consideration of h.r. 2374 and a closed rule for h.r. 992. however, i think it's important to note that h.r. 992 is a closed rule really by default because the rules committee did

not receive any amendments despite members having ample time to submit them. so we made sure in the interest of time that we're going to move forward on this important legislation, mr. speaker. so today's bills are technical in nature, but each carries a very important policy implication designed to strengthen our nation's financial services industry while simultaneously protecting consumers and providing more certainty for our economy. first, h.r. 992, the swaps regulatory improvement act, amends section 716 of the dodd-frank act to provide banks and their customers the flexibility to effectively manage risk better. today, many banks and bank customers, such as utility companies and agricultural

co-ops, use swaps as effective means to manage their business and to operate their cash flows in a safe and practical manner. unfortunately, section 716 of the dodd-frank act would require banks and their customers to shift these practices out of a traditional bank model and place them in a newly created capitalized nonbank entity. such a change to current business models would create unnecessary instability in domestic markets and potentially restrict access to those financial services instruments. federal reserve chairman ben bernanke said such a move would weaken both financial stability and strong prudent regulation. so h.r. 992 would allow banks and their customers to keep the

majority of swaps transactions in-house and to prevent needless financial instability. additionally, it is important to note that despite what my colleagues on the other side of the aisle may say, this legislation only permits raditional swaps to continue under the current operating structure. all structured swaps, such as an asset-backed security and other riskier investment vehicles would be required to be housed in nonbank entities. i believe this legislation represents commonsense ideas that allow for greater financial flexibility for consumers while ensuring that investors are not subject to unnecessary risk. the second bill, h.r. 2374, the retail investor protection act,

claims to potentially -- aims to prevent potentially conflicting and costly definitions of fiduciary standards from being applied to broker dealers and other financial services professionals. currently, the department of labor is in the final stages of drafting a new definition of fiduciary standards for broker-dealers under the employee retirement income security act, known as ariesa. this new requirement would draw mat -- arisa. this new requirement would dramatically change a long-standing business model and diminish everyday americans to access quality investment advice. meaning the broker that they choose. at the same time, the securities and exchange commission, known as the s.e.c., is considering adopting its own uniform fiduciary

standard for broker-dealers pursuant to the frank-dodd act. h.r. 2374 would prevent the department of labor from issuing any new fiduciary standards before the s.e.c. finalizes its new rule. in other words, we'd like for them to work together. . this would prevent the agencies from promulgating and different definition that is could prove difficult if not impossible for many service professionals to adhere to. such a change in current business practices is a solution in search of a problem. so, current stability standards applying to broker-dealers did not play a role in the financial crisis of 2008. and congress should not force american families to have to pay more not only for legal definitions they do not need, but against their own common

sense. today millions of americans who save for retirement take advantage of many affordable investment options that broker dealers provide. changing if i disheary standards for broker dealers would increase cost and decrease access to important investment tools, especially for low and middle income families. i believe that h.r. 2374 as brought to the rules committee by the chairman of the financial services committee, the honorable jeb hensarling from dallas, texas, provides the certainty and flexibility that americans need for retirement and to plan for their future. and for their own children's education while promoting a safe and equitable marketplace. i urge my colleagues to vote yes on the rule and yes on the underlying legislation. i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from texas reserves. the gentleman from colorado is recognized. mr. polis: thank you, mr. speaker. i thank the gentleman from texas for yielding me the customary 30 minutes.

i yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. polis: mr. speaker, i rise in opposition to the rule which is a closed rule for h.r. 992, the swaps regulatory improvement act. only makes in order one amount for h.r. 2374, the retail investor protection act, and would allow for this political game that we like to play, which is called the vote on the disapproval of the raising the debt ceiling, which i'll talk a little bit more about later. but what i truly object to here is the way that this body, this house, is only meeting for one full day this week. we came in yesterday evening, around 6:30 p.m. we are meeting today, and it's my understanding for about half the day tomorrow. most people in this country, mr. speaker, work a solid 40-hour workweek. i don't know why members of congress and this house the expectations somehow be they work 10, 12, 15 hours a week, call it a week and go home, when

there's many important things we could be doing. don't get me wrong, mr. speaker. what we are talking about today, and i agree with some of the bills under this rule and disagree with others, is an honest day's work. we are discussing and debating important bills. would that we were having these kinds of discussions for five days a week rather than one day a week, mr. speaker. while i disagree with this approach to getting very little work done that's important to the people of this country, this bill does make in order h.r. 992, which i support. i think this bill is common sense. it modifies revision of the dodd-frank bill which many, including -- many of the bill's authors like former representative barney frank and federal reserve chair ben bernanke regarded as problematic. it corrects that. many economists and regulators have noted without this legislation it's quite likely that certain swaps activity could be pushed out from the heavily regulated bank institutions. having the opposite effect of

what many of us wanted to accomplish with the dodd-frank bill. increasing costs to financial institutions. in fact, if we don't pass this bill, it could make our financial system more susceptible to systemic risk and reduce or international competitiveness, according to chairman -- former chairman bernanke. i'm confident this bill will pass with the strong bipartisan coalition. and does represent important work that this body will do. the underlying bill, 992, also ensures that federally backed financial institutions can continue to conduct risk mitigation efforts to serve commercial and hedging needs of their customers, while still prohibiting dangerous swaps that contributed to our economic collapse. i am pleased to join my colleagues from across the aisle in making this important fix rather than repealing the law entirely, i wish, mr. speaker, that the approach to obamacare and the affordable care act was

more analagous to this approach that we are having with dodd-frank. i think many of us who supported dodd-frank agree there's a number of changes that need to be made. as far as i know, in the history of this institution, never been a perfect piece of legislation passed. it's regularly routine to have clean up bills that improve and build upon what's been done. i wish we could get there with the affordable care act, i'm a co-sponsor of a number of bills i think would improve the affordable care act. i think my colleagues across the aisle are as well. i think it's time to get past this discussion of trying to repeal obamacare and instead get to a discussion of how do we make it work for our country. how do we make health care work for our country? how do we make health care affordable for our country and build upon the suck segs of the affordable care act -- successes of the affordable care act and address the shortcomings of the act. the retail investment protection act, which addresses pending rule makings at both the department of labor and securities and exchange

commission regarding the new if i disheary standards of care, again while the merits of this legislation are up for debate, under this rule the house is really only aloud consideration of one amendment for the two -- allowed consideration of one amendment for the two bills. and we are not staying through the week to discuss further amendments and other topics like replacing our broken immigration system of the more disappointingly the little light workload this week of a day and a half is emblematic of how the next two months are calendar for this house of representatives. there's only 19 days left of work for this house before the end of the year. the house is only in session for 2 1/2 days before we recess in a week. again, i think that the american people expect and demand a

minimum 40-hour workweek from the people that they hired to represent them here in washington. i think most people of this country have more than 19 days that they have to work in november and december. that's two full months. november and december. and yet we only have 19 days over that two-month period that this body will be in session. and yet there are critical issues that the american people are demanding that we act on. as an example today is the 302nd day of 2013 that we have failed to bring to the floor a comprehensive immigration reform bill. time is running short. and the need for a comprehensive immigration overhaul is growing every day. even the united states senate hardly an institution that is

prized for the speed with which it moves, has passed comprehensive immigration reform. with a 2/3 majority. more than a 2/3 majority of the senate. now, i'm proud to be part after coalition of house members, bipartisan coalition, that's introduce add bill very similar to the senate bill that's replaced some of the border security language with house border security language. h.r. 15, the border security economic opportunity and immigration modernization act. this bill would create jobs, reduce our bunt deficit, including -- budget deficit, including a pathway to citizenship, unite families, it would help reflect values as americans in our immigration laws, grow the economy, create jobs for americans here at home. and finally get real about enforcing our immigration laws. do you realize, mr. speaker, there are over 10 million people in this country illegally? when are we going to get serious about enforcing our laws and not making a mockery of them? this nation is a nation based on

the rule of law. h.r. 15 reflects that commitment as does the senate immigration bill. it's time that we fix our broken immigration system rather than go home on a wednesday and meet for 19 days in a 63-day period. this is a bipartisan bill. h.r. 15. we have been joined by several republicans representative denham, representative ros-lehtinen. we encourage my colleagues, i certainly invite my friend and colleague from texas to join us as a co-sponsor of this bill that will allow us to create enforcement, a pathway to citizenship, grow jobs, and finally resolve our broken immigration system. it appears, mr. speaker, perhaps i'm being paranoid, it appears to me, mr. speaker, that perhaps leadership and, mr. speaker, leadership as you know controls what we vote on here on the floor of the house, leadership,

of course, being my colleague, mr. cantor from virginia, my colleague, mr. boehner from ohio , perhaps, mr. speaker, they fear this bill would pass. if it was brought to the floor. and yes, mr. speaker, this bill would pass if it was brought to the floor of the house. 29 republicans have already publicly expressed support for a pathway to citizenship. many more republicans, mr. speaker, have privately expressed support for a pathway to citizenship. it should hardly take courage to do so. over 70% of the american people have expressed support for a pathway to citizenship. regrettably the only action that this house has taken on immigration has been one vote which voted to undo the deferred action program for childhood arrivals. it voted to deport dreamers. yes, the house of representatives actually voted to do that.

fortunately it didn't happen. democrats controlled the senate and stopped it. the president likely would have vetoed it. it's his program he started in the absence of this body acting. by the way, in the absence of the house of representatives taking on immigration reform, i hope the president expands deferred action. one of the tools he has at his disposal to address the immigration system, the lawmaking body refuses to solve the immigration issue. and if this body refuses to solve the issue, the number of people here illegally will only increase. and this boddy, the house of representatives, and the -- body, the house of representatives, and the majority, the republican party, will be responsible for more illegal immigration and having more people here illegally if we do not act now. mr. speaker, just this week nearly 600 conservative supporters of immigration reform will storm capitol hill from the faith community, business community, the law enforcement community, and unprecedented coalition will be meeting with

republican members and is meeting with republican members demanding they take action. we are talking about partnership for new american economy. the bibles, badges, and business coalition. and the u.s. chamber of commerce. it yet regrettably the only immigration -- and yet regrettably the only immigration that's passed this house is deport dreamers. again thankfully it didn't happen. that's the only idea so far that has been proposed and sadly, tragically, accepted by this body for dealing with dreamers. we are talking dreamers, young people who grew up in this country. been to american schools, football team, cheerleader, prom, good grades, played by every rule they knew that are brought here when they were two years old, five years old. frequently they don't even speak another language. they want to get back to our country if only we will let

them. and yet this house voted to eliminate the program that allows them to work in this country and would instead deport them back to a country they don't know anybody in and don't speak the language of. and deny them the ability to be legally in the only country they know to make our country stronger. w, the majority party took action on an amendment. they passed the amendment to undo the deferred action program, but i refuse to believe that that's the action that speaker boehner had in mind when he said he wants to move forward and fix our broken immigration system. regardless of what we do with the dreamers, that's only a small part of our broken immigration system. there are many adults working illegally in this country because we refuse to enforce or fix our immigration laws. that will continue until this house of representatives chooses to change that. and the american people, mr.

speaker, are fed up. that's why enormous majorities of democrats and republicans and independents, men, women, of every single breakdown that you have of the american people, want to see the house of representatives fix our broken immigration system. would like to see us pass a senate bill, h.r. 15, here in the house of representatives, a bipartisan bill, ready for the floor today and ready to be passed into law. the house majority needs to move a bill to the floor. this includes border security, enforcement of our laws, meets the needs of the businesses, the technology sector, the agriculture sector, other important sectors that rely on immigrant work force. and, yes, we can count the votes, mr. speaker. we can help majority whip mccarthy with his job, the votes for a pathway to citizenship, i'm proud to report back to my colleague from texas which i know is part of republican leadership and my

good colleague, were sessions, we can -- mr. sessions, we can report back that 29 house republicans have endorsed the pathway to citizenship. the principles included in h.r. 15 and the senate bill and many more citizens have privately committed their support. and yet we're hearing more and more about counterproductive measures that might be brought to the house. for instance, there's -- i heard there might be an effort to introduce the so-called safe act in an immigration package which would essentially turn undocumented people into criminals overnight. can you imagine trying to enforce a set of laws there were 10 million or 15 million criminals in our country? now, it's important to also distinguish, mr. speaker, when we look at our immigrant detention centers and we are talking about here legally that

do crimes, we join with our republican colleagues in seeking deportation and punishment. whether someone is here legally or illegally, whenever they do a crime that harms our community, we have no sympathy for them and we seek their full punishment under the law. but how can you enforce or punish people when you create a whole new class of criminals? we can barely punish the criminals we have. we already incarcerate more people as a percentage of our population that i any other western industrialized nation. clearly incarcerating and deporting more is not the answer but would be a tremendous burden to the american taxpayer. each deportation, mr. speaker, costs over $10,000 of your money. over $10,000. is that the solution? or should we make sure that people working here pay taxes? would you rather pay, mr. speaker, $10,000 or would you rather accept their checks to make sure that they're paying

their fair share to reduce our budget deficit and reduce the tax burden on everybody else? to the tune of over $200 billion. which is how much, according to the scoring of the senate bill, comprehensive immigration reform, will reduce our deficit. and we'll be happy to work with the republican majority to use that $200 billion to reduce the individual tax rate. it's an issue that i've talked about with my colleague, mr. sessions from texas. we'd love to bring down those marginal rates. instead of 39.6%, let's get them down to 38%, 35%, however low we can get them and bring down rates for everybody else as well. i'll address the question to my good colleague and friend from texas if we might use the $200 billion in immigration reform to bring down the individual or corporate tax rate. i'll be happy to pose that question. mr. sessions: we believe there should be no more than 25% for

every american when they pay their tax. mr. polis: and that will get us fully there. that's $200 billion. i have to see the scoring to get it down to 25%, but that is a pay-for that i think will have support from our side of the aisle. there are other pay-fors as well. we will not do that if that increases the deficit, if we bring down tax rate for people and that goes to the deficit. i think there will be problems on both side of the aisle. if we can off-- both sides of the aisle. if we can offset it by getting rid of loopholes for the oil and gas industry, i think we have a good bipartisan way of discussing to bring down tax rates for all americans going forward. immigration needs to reflect our values as americans. it needs to bring people out of the shadows, enforce our laws, be good for american business, be good for labor, create jobs and help make america more

competitive. let me talk briefly, mr. speaker, about the overwhelming public support for immigration reform. take my own state of colorado as an example. more than 3/4 of coloradans support comprehensive immigration reform with the pathway to citizenship for the people already here. in california there's been a number of polls. in the 21st district represented by my friend and colleague, representative valadao, 77% of voters support the senate immigration bill, h.r. 15, comprehensive immigration reform. and the 22nd district in california, represented by my friend and colleague, mr. nunes, over 74% support h.r. 15. let's move to nevada, in the second district of nevada, represented by mr. amodei, 62% support. in the third district of nevada, represented by my colleague, mr. heck, over 74%. i can go over on and on. the point is, mr. speaker, is

the american people are demanding action of this body. h.r. 15 is simply common sense. instead of going home after one day of work, let's bring it to the floor on thursday and pass it on friday, mr. speaker. let's get it done. common sense. if the house majority is serious about bolesering innovation, growing our -- bowlesering innovation, growing our -- bolstering innovation, growing our economy, then put this immigration reform bill on the floor and let the house work its will. it will pass. we can attract investment in entrepreneurs and encourage them to create jobs, reduce our deficit, bring down the tax burden and guess what, help restore integrity to our entitlement programs. help make sure that people are paying in to social security and medicare and that they're solvent. we can accomplish that this week or, you know, if you really want to go home on wednesday of this week, let's come back next week instead of

taking next week off and we can pass immigration reform then. i'll be happy and many members from my side of the aisle will be happy to cancel their vacation plans for next week to come back and pass immigration reform. i would encourage my colleague from texas to encourage his leadership to do that. it's time, mr. speaker, frankly, it's past time. h.r. 15 improves border security, interior enforcement, resolves the issue of the 11 million people who are here illegally, improves our legal immigration system. the bill makes sure that the department of homeland security develop a comprehensive plan to protect our southern border, a plan that has passed unanimously by the house homeland security committee, democrats and republicans joining together to actually get serious about our border security. the american people are calling out for this body to take the moral high road, the economically beneficial path for democrats and republicans to work together to bring a comprehensive immigration

reform bill to the house before the end of the year. so i can't support this rule today, mr. speaker. i can't support a rule that sends us home on wednesday of a workweek. i can't support a rule that only gives us 19 more legislative days before the end of the year. mr. speaker, i would love to be able to support a rule here on the floor of the house and if my colleague from texas and my colleagues in the rules committee are willing to bring forward a rule, bring forward h.r. 15 thursday, bringing it forward next week, i'll be happy to stay here and proudly support that rule. until we reach that time, i will have to voice my opposition to the rule. i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from colorado reserves. the gentleman from texas is recognized. mr. sessions: mr. speaker, thank you very much. i appreciate the dialogue that the gentleman from colorado's having. in fact, i have for a long period of time not only understood the plight of those who are perhaps in this country as undocumented people but also understand the plight of people

o are trying to get a job in this country, americans who are trying to find work and there are lots of things that we should have done on this. i would remind the gentleman, for years the democrat majority had this front and center as a promise they would accomplish. and the republican majority now is attempting to work through this issue. we've had working groups. we've had members who are very serious about how we work on a bipartisan basis. i know the gentleman, mr. polis, has been not only aware of that, but also understands we -- sbri cassies, intricacies, we need to understand who is in this country that is dangerous. some 30,000 people who are special interest aliens who this government is watching. they would sneak right

underneath towards citizenship, the wire that normally a person who comes in this country would have to go through a background check and we would know who they are and we would transform them from a great member of another country to a proud american. and what we want to make sure is that we measure twice and solve once. that's what the republican party is trying to do. i do appreciate the friendship -- mr. polis: if the gentleman will yield? mr. sessions: the gentleman had 18 minutes to get his message out. i'll take my few minutes to get this out. and with great respect to the gentleman from colorado, i do recognize not only his heart but his brain is engaged in trying to make sure that we work together, that we do it on a bipartisan basis, that we see the future of hardworking people who are in this country.

but that we also recognize that there must be a chance to protect this country and not give constitutional rights and the hard work in this had country, as the senate bill does, away. gives it away rather than having an earned citizenship to where people then have a chance to make our country stronger. so it is a big debate, and the gentleman is most eloquent in his enunsiation of support of pushing -- pushing all this together. i stand with him. but we will keep working until we get it right. mr. speaker, at this time i'd like to yield five minutes to the gentleman from bowling green, kentucky, the gentleman from the energy and commerce, congressman guthrie. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from kentucky is recognized for five minutes. mr. guthrie: thank you, mr. speaker. i thank the chairman for yielding time to speak on an important issue that the retail

investor protection act addresses. employee stock ownership plans provide good jobs and secure retirements in my home state, the commonwealth of kentucky, and across the nation. in fact, aesop had fewer layoffs than fewer businesses. i've been joined by two dozen colleagues from both sides of the aisle on a bill to prevent the department of labor from imposing the fiduciary standard n appraisers of aesop stock. i.r.s. law today say they get an independent appraisal in order to determine the value of the stock. on the other hand, fiduciaries are not independent. any definition that would have them as fiduciaries would create a conflict with the i.r.s. regulations and by creating conflicting duties by appraisors, any rules would substantially increase the cost of esops and regulate them without of existence. it would add costs to all

parties and encourage needless litigation time and again. d.o.l. has failed to sufficiently document the problems with esops that they claim they are trying to remedy. this is simply another example of this administration overreaching and creating unnecessary burdens on business leaders from providing a great service to their employees. i'm pleased to stand in support of the rule and the underlying bill today because if enacted this bill will help protect esops in the near term by barring d.o.l. from finalizing a rule on fiduciaries until after the s.e.c. has acted. this bill would provide some temporary protection for esops and their appraisers. we must continue to defend business leaders and their employees from professional regulators whose ill-considered and counterproductive proposals are making it more difficult for hardworking americans to achieve the american dream.

and we have worked with both sides of the aisle and this party, the republican party on this side of the aisle wants to make sure americans have the opportunity to achieve the american dream. this bill does that and therefore i support the rule and the underlying bill. i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from kentucky yields back. the gentleman from texas reserves. the gentleman from colorado is recognized. mr. polis: mr. speaker, i'm proud to yield two minutes to my friend, the gentleman from new jersey, mr. holt. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from new jersey is recognized for two minutes. mr. holt: mr. speaker, i want to join my friend from colorado in lamenting the lack of legislative action on immigration and so many other issues. of course, the number i'm sure he doesn't want to leave the impression that members of congress do nothing when we're not actually in session. however, the lack of number of days in session, the small number of days in session is really systematic of the problem. the an unwillingness to deal

with the great issues of the day, be they immigration, appropriations and funding for government activities, re-authorizing the elementary and secondary education act, to replace no child left behind, providing workplace training and job creation. the transportation legislation and nutrition programs, it's worth pointing out that only now -- i mean, right now we are about to lose 13% in the snap program, the food stamp program . for all of those reasons we should be working here in the chamber and in committee and elsewhere. but mr. speaker, i rise today in opposition to the so-called retail investor protection act which is one more attempt to delay and derail implementation of the dodd-frank wall street reform law. the financial crisis should be all the evidence we need to know that stronger, not weaker enforcement, tougher, not

weaker regulations are necessary. dodd-frank is the law of the and, yet, as we obamacare, the republican agenda consists only of delay and repeal with no solutions to in this case prevent a future economic meltdown. i want to be clear in voting against this bill, i'm not stating aprufle or endorsement of the u.s. department of labor's proposed fiduciary rule. in fact, since 2011, i've voiced concerns about how the proposed chames to the definition of fiduciary might lead to a reduction in financial education. and access to investment advice. americans are not well-prepared for retirement. i've long believed that the more investment advice available to employee the better. they need more advice, notless. more encourage optometrist invest, not less. i look forward to continuing to

work with the secretary of labor to craft a rule to allow americans, more americans, not fewer americans, to be better prepared, not less prepared for retirement. i thank the gentleman. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. the gentleman from colorado reserves. the gentleman from texas is recognize. mr. sessions: thank you very much, i'm pleased now to yield time to the distinguished member from gainesville, georgia, a member of the government reform and oversight committee, for four minutes, the gentleman, congressman collins. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized for four minutes. mr. collins: thank you, mr. speaker. as i come here today, one of the things i've been listening to, and my friend across the aisle from colorado, we talk about things, substantive issues. i've been in three committee hearings this morning, a lot of it going across the aisle, working on issues that work. one thing that concerns me as i was listening to this as well is the republican majority is working toward finding solutions for bad bills.

now that doesn't mean that everything is delay or is just extinguish but when you find something that's wrong, from where i'm at you fix it. one of the things we're looking at today, and i rise in support of the rule -- i will yield at the end. and especially h.r. 2734, you know, i rise today because we must continue to look at this regulatory beast and it is strangling -- it is what i feel american businesses and families are struggling with. i have democrat friends and republican friends and the bottom line when it comes to business is business has always been set up to make a profit. the gentleman understands that. the gentlemen and ladies on this side understand that. we have to get into a position where the federal government is out of the way except in the areas where it needs to be so businesses can flourish and businesses can thrive. i believe this is what we're

looking at today. the federal agencies too often move forward with new and burdensome regulatory mandates without proving they're needed to correct harm in the marketplace. i call it in some ways a job protection. they want to do good. i'm not implying that government employees are not hardworking. strong individuals. but many time they're looking at their own job and say, what do i need to do to make sure we're, quote, doing something at the expense, many times of the ones that are having to live with what they're doing. so as i look into this today, i want to thank the gentlewoman from missouri for putting forward legislation to ensure that families in my district and across the nation are not harmed as they sthrive to save for their kids' college or invest for the future. our republican majority is working on bills like this that remove these kinds of issues. and the s.e.c. must explore all other options before moving to a fiduciary standard for dealers.

before i go, one of the things i have advocated in my short time here is that congress has to take back its article 1 authority. we've got to get into our oversight and passing bills and leaving it to an executive, nameless, faceless agency is not what we need to be doing. when need be, congress needs to be doing things like this, where we come in and say, in -- no, let's take a break. let's slow down. is this really what the law intended? is this what the law meant? is this what we're supposed to be doing. congress has a constitutional role and we've got to take that back. i think what we're doing here today and having exchanges across the aisle, whether it be today or tomorrow or next week, when i'll be back home actually working and talking to people and preparing for what really is crushing in our area the implementation of the health care legislation, what we're getting. these are the kinds of things we need to be talking about. when we do that, then we have real dialup, we have real solutions. but congress has got to take

back its article 1 authority. we have let it go for years. we've got to start -- this is a small part. these bills just represent -- and even what you mitigating circumstance friend from colorado is talking about, these are issues that need to be debated, we are debate, judiciary committee on which i sit has taken up several of these issue well, did this morning under patents. this is what matters to the american people. they want to see us work. they want to see us be a part of it. and not just simply here, as we're talking to cameras and talk to each other. we've got to be out listening and working our committees and doing things back home so that they understand that as well. when i look at this i look at this as something powerful to move forward on. i look at something as a good rule, a good underlying bill. this republican majority work, bipartisan, in this. can i extend another minute? >> i yield the gentleman one minute. >> i appreciate the chairman. >> mr. collins: giving us the ability to work like this. i yield to the gentleman from

colorado. mr. polis: i appreciate the gentleman from colorado and appreciate his words that there's a lot of important work going on, committees meet you mentioned the judiciary committee working on patents, very important issue. with all the important that is going on, why will the house be adjourning on wednesday and not meeting next week? mr. collins: you took this opportunity to discuss immigration and other thing, i have to go back when the democrats had the entire floor, had everything they wanted, they chose other priorties, strangling businesses and other ideas that we're having to deal with. the republican majority is moving forward on getting the unstrangling back. i just have to go back and say, we will work on those thing bus in support of our republican majority, we are working for businesses and families with who right now are struggling to create jobs. i yield back. the chair: the gentleman -- the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from colorado is recognized. mr. polis: i yield three minutes to the gentleman from vermont, mr. welsh. the speaker pro tempore: the --

mr. welch. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. welch: this congress put the american people and our economy through the spectacle of 16 days of shutdown with the culmination bling the actual threat that we would not pay our bills. we would default. that's the second time we've done that in two years. and there's some progress in this rule because it is going to allow congress to vote to disapprove but it can't pass unless it gets in effect the president's signature. there's another way we ought to do this we ought to, once and for all, acknowledge that if this congress, with republican and democratic votes, passes an appropriation that has an impact on the debt ceiling, that is the time of reckoning at the moment that appropriation is passed. what we've done is a good deal hypocritical toward the people we represent. we'll vote for spending on day one, and then on day two, when the bill becomes due, we'll

vote against the debt ceiling increase that was required by the very vote we made. that's just not a standup way for a country to operate. we pay our bills. and the idea that we would have a debate, as we did in this congress, where the premise was that -- the premise of that debate was that it was actually an acceptable outcome that we would stiff our creditors, that we wouldn't pay the mortgage, that we might fore sake the one million veterans who are coming home from iraq and afghanistan and not provide to them the services that we've all promised. that's just not right. the damage we did with the debt ceiling debate and the threlt to default was enormous. both in august of 2011 and in october of 2013. in august of 2011, consumer confidence dropped to a 31-year low. the third quarter gross domestic product increased,

barely, at 1.4%. it led to the first time in the history of this country, we lost our triple-a credit rating and suffered a downgrade from standard and poor's. the loss of .3% of the fourth quarter growth rate translated into $24 billion of lost revenue. household wealth collapsed by $2.4 trillion. while it's true that wealth has come back, the loss of that created an immense amount of insecurity, redeuced consumer spending an cost us jobs. the peter peterson foundation indicated that the uncertainty that was created was something that contributed to $150 billion in lost output and 900,000 jobs. the october 13 shutdown and the threat of default was the biggest plunge in consumer

confidence, bigger even than august of 2011, the biggest plunge since the lehman brothers collapsed in 2008. we must acknowledge something very simple. we must pay our bills. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman's time has expire. the gentleman from colorado reserves. the gentleman from texas is recognized. mr. sessions: thank you very much, i appreciate the gentleman, my dear friend from colorado, speaking most eloquently about the effects of five years of president barack obama. i will remind this body that president obama said he would not negotiate with house republicans. in fact, the majority responsible for the bill that had to prepare our country for what we would do for moving our country forward with the -- with not only the c.r., but also the sequestration, house republicans for months have spent time to make sure we did

appropriations bills. meanwhile, our friends on the sthath did zero appropriations bills. house republicans prepared us not to have the demise that we did and our friends across the aisle did nothing to help us in that endeavor. not even to begin a negotiation. so unfortunately it turns out it goes on someone's record. i would like for the record to reflect that house republicans came up with ideas to avoid the government shutdown and to fund the government. we've done that for months. and we will continue to do that. mr. speaker, at this time i'd like to yield four minutes to the gentleman from winfield, illinois, the gentleman from financial services and one of the co-sponsors and lead sponsthoferse bills on the floor today, congressman hultgren. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized for four minutes. mr. hultgren: thank you, mr. speaker, thank you, chairman sessions, for your work.

i thank the entire rules committee for your important work as well. we have before us today a couple of deserving bills that redirect cumbersome and burdensome federal regulations and for a change put customers first. i'm particularly interested in he fate of h.r. 992, the swaps regulatory act. i want to thank my bipartisan co-sponsors. representative jim himself and also on the agriculture committee, representatives richard hudson and representative sean patrick maloney, all have done great work in coming together in a bipartisan way to solve, put together legislation that solves a real problem with a law passed a couple of years ago. we also owe a debt of to thanks to representative nan hayworth who carried this in the 112th congress. the bill may seem complicated but the aim is simple. it is to save, for me, illinois farmers and manufacturers, utility providers, hospitals

from greater cost -- higher cost and greater uncertainty. so much that i hear from my constituents, specifically from people looking to grow jobs, grow this economy, is their fear is the uncertainty that they're facing. it's not an uncertainty of whether they can do the job or provide a product or whether they can provide a service. they know they can do that. the uncertainty they're feeling is, can they keel with what government is going to do to them if they grow their business? and greater unearn certainty that's come from laws that have passed over the last couple of years. one area that created great uncertainty is the dodd-frank law passed a couple of years ago. specifically this provision, section 716, was supposed to really be focused at wall street. what we've seen is it hurts main street. main street customers, more than anything else. taking away options, raising costs and raising uncertainty for again farmers and manufacturers. people who are providing great

product to our consumers in our districts. so this legislation is important to bring back that certainty. for me as well, this is important. my history, i grew up in a family funeral home, i worked in helping people in planning for their future, certainly through that family business but also as an investment advisor helping people and as an attorney helping people plan for the future. in congress my hope is to continue to help people and our nation to plan for the future, to fight for future generations to make sure we're making good decisions for our kids and grandkids. this is one of those areas where i see throughout my lifetime through our family business and the work i've done that trust relationships are important. and the trust relationships that are farm -- that our farmers and manufacturers have been able to create with their local community banks are important. unfortunately, this law that was passed a couple of years ago forces those relationships to be broken. that you can no longer use the trusted financial bank or financial service prossvider in

your local area to be able to help you plan for uncertainty in the future. but again are pushed out into other entities that are less regulated and oftentimes offshore system of i am so excited about taking this step to bring certainty back and ultimately, hopefully, as that confidence grows, with our farmers and manufacturers and employers, our job creation will grow once again. investment and hiring people, that's what we want. that's the number one priority we are fighting for. there will be time for further debate on this but i ask my colleagues to adopt the rule for the reasons stated by chairman bernanke in tom before the house financial services committee on february 27, he said, i quote, 716, the section we're changing here, requires the pushout of certain kinds of derivatives and it's not evident why that makes the company as a whole safer. what we do see is that it will likely increase costs of people who use the derivatives and make it more difficult for the bank to compete with foreign competitor yoss who -- come

tetors who can provide a more complete set of services. i thank the rules committee and i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from illinois yields back, the gentleman from texas reserves the gentleman from colorado is recognized. mr. polis: if we defeat the previous question, i yield two minutes to the gentleman from hode island, mr. cicilline. mr. cicilline: it's beyond time for congress to focus on getting americans back to work. we want to get things back on the right track, we have to start making things again in this country. job creation shouldn't be a democratic issue or republican issue. it's an american issue. at some point the gridlock in washington needs to end and we need to take advantage of the opportunities we have to reinvigorate this critical sector of our economy. and that's why i urge my colleagues to defeat the previous question today so we can consider the make it in america manufacturing act, legislation i've introduced that would facilitate the

creation of unique public-private partnerships, bringing together federal, state, local and regional stakeholders to have enhancement strategies and deliver targeted resources to strengthen the manufacturing sector which has proven vital to our country's economy. it would provide small to medium-sized manufacturers the resources they need to retool and retrofit their operations and train their work force in order to transition to the manufacturing of clean energy, high technology and advanced products. and it would enhance the competitiveness of the industry, including through increased exports and domestic supply chain opportunities. mr. speaker, it's time for congress to work together to make things again so that americans can make it again, and this is about strengthening the manufacturing sector which helped build the middle class of this country, which helped build one of the strongest economies in the world. his it would allow manufacturers who are beginning to see a resurgence, a revival

because of some market conditions, because of the great innovations, because of the great quality of our work force, it would allow us to strengthen this sector, grow jobs at a critical time for my state and for our country. so i urge my colleagues to defeat the previous question so we can consider the make it in america manufacturing act, something we should be able to come together on that would promote job creation in this critical sector of our nation's economy. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from rhode island yields back. the gentleman from colorado reserves. the gentleman from texas is recognized. mr. sessions: i appreciate the gentleman speaking very clearly about getting manufacturing jobs, and that's why the republican party listens to the national association of manufacturers. and they have a very specific list of things that they, as manufacturers, want as they try and make not only more jobs available in this country but also as they want to make sure that investment and opportunity and keeping their companies

alive is something that goes forward into the future. and that's why they oppose obamacare. that's why their number one a big to say they see government spending program, not just like obamacare, but also taxes on energy, which our friends on the other side of the aisle push every day and higher taxes for investors and more and more and more big government. so i do understand what manufacturers want. and it is directly related to the meetings that i have from people, from dallas, texas, and all across this country who are in the business. they put their names on their doors. manufacturers are awesome and important people to our economy. mr. speaker, what we're really here to speak about are these two bills from the financial services committee today. h.r. 2374 is something that's been talked about, and what it really boils down to is there

are investment advisors and investment advisors are those people in the marketplace that individual advisor would go to -- an individual customer would go to, and that financial advisor has not only a higher standard on them but they also have legal and regulatory costs that go with it. but what their advice is is to know that customers and the customer needs and how old that customer is and what they're trying to achieve and to know about their family and their processes and not to take risks where there shouldn't be but to match the expectation of per formerans. and -- performance. and then there is that broker-dealer and that broker-dealer is up $5 to $7 per trade person. it's someone you call up and execute the agreement you have from your investment advisor. what we're trying to say here

today, mr. hultgren and others are saying, we don't think the regulatory burdens, including cost, including legal fees and other burdens should be placed on the broker-dealers. they should be someone that has a lesser or different standard. they're simply the person that takes the order to effectively cheaply get the order done that came from the customer as a result of their advice from the financial advisor. how important is this? it's important enough because the u.s. chamber of commerce, that stalwart that stands for all business, not just manufacturers but also customers, they have said this about what chairman hensarling is attempting to accomplished today. they see, and i quote from a letter that came from bruce josten, executive vice president of the chamber in a letter dated october 28, to all members of the u.s. house of

representatives asking for support. due to increasing overlap between the department of labor and the s.e.c. in the area of retirement plans and the related nature of each agency's fiduciary initiative, the chamber believes that the two agencies should coordinate and work in a systematic manner, allowing the s.e.c. to complete its rules first to avoid investor confusion, regulatory conflict and one rule being usurped by the other. mr. speaker, this is common sense. that's your u.s. chamber that's speaking on behalf of people all across this country saying, let's not put ourself into a circumstance where indecision that's been talked about today becomes a hindrance in the

marketplace, where good rules and common sense is able to flourish. and that's what the republican majority is attempting to do today. that's why this 2374 means that what we're trying to do is provide our ideas to a marketplace rather than having the department of labor go first and perhaps have one set of rules and then the securities and exchange commission, who really should be the lead agency, come up with their own rules and regulations. let's have them work together. let's have this administration recognize, and that's what we're doing here today, to recognize that common sense means we're asking government to work with itself between two regulatory -- between a gulatory body and a -- and a cabinet level position. and i believe that if we're on the floor successful today that we will see that white flag that comes up that says, well,

this bill may not make it through the other body, like so many bills that we have, but common sense should prevail. that's why republicans are here today and that's why the u.s. chamber of commerce stands up and says this is what we see as the real issue in the marketplace. i reserve my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from texas reserves. the gentleman from colorado. mr. polis: i'd like to inquire if the gentleman from texas has any remaining speakers. mr. sessions: i'd like the gentleman for asking and in reply back, we don't have any speakers. mr. polis: and we do not. mr. speaker, i ask unanimous consent to insert the text of the amendment in the record immediately prior to the vote on the previous question. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. mr. polis: mr. speaker, since this is spoken for, this leaves us with 19 legislative days before the end of the session. reportedly, i read in the press that house leadership is struggling find ways to fill that time. well, i have an idea. four weeks is more than enough time to pass immigration reform. if we can't stay here on thursday and friday to do it, let's do it in the 19 days we

have left. there is no reason at all for us to leave here in december disappointing the american people without taking action on an issue that's on speaker boehner's agenda, on majority cantor leader -- majority leader cantor's agenda for over a year. speaker boehner and house leadership can have plans for house immigration reform before the end of the year. every week that congress is in session, until we pass immigration reform, i'll be on the floor speaking about the cost of inaction. immigration reform will create 750,000 to 900,000 jobs for americans, for americans that are out of work. my colleague from texas mentioned that there are dangerous people that we don't know where they are in this country. that's true. and by passing comprehensive immigration reform we'll make sure we know people who represent a threat to this nation are. that people have to register. enforcement of the law actually means something. the senate has acted and passed a bipartisan comprehensive

immigration bill last june. meanwhile, the house of representatives hasn't dedicated a single minute of legislative floor time to any immigration bill, and so too this week, this house is going home wednesday instead of discussing immigration reform. the house of inaction is too heavy a price to pay for the american people. the majority of this had body, the republicans who control the floor of the house have a choice. they can sit back, twiddle their thumbs and watch the cost of immigration problems go up for the american people, destroying our jobs and increasing our deficit, or they can come to the table, start a serious discussion about immigration reform, bring a bill to the floor of the house and pass it, reduce our deficit, improve security, create jobs for americans. mr. speaker, i urge my colleagues to vote no and defeat the previous question. i urge a no vote on the rule. i urge us to bring up immigration reform, and i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from colorado yields back the balance of his time. the gentleman from texas is recognized. mr. sessions: mr. speaker, thank you very much.

and i'd appreciate not only the courtesy that the gentleman has afforded me with his -- what i believe is support of the bill, the underlying legislation, the importance to the marketplace and perhaps more importantly really what we're trying to do here today and that is to move forth ideas that will help the american people. i also know the discussions that he wanted to have that are really not what we're here to meet today but are very, very important issues not only to the gentleman from colorado but i think every single member of this body and that is an attention that we give to understanding the legislation that could be attached to the immigration bill. but the work that we're doing today is about what we have which is here for a reason and that is to make it easier for people back home, to be able to

make decisions about financial long-term issues and ideas. whether it's their retirement, whether it's about sending their kids to college, about trying to take costs out of the marketplace, to allow a consumer a better opportunity to come to a broker-dealer of their choice to go to the financial advisor to work whatever they do and then to go to a marketplace that is cost-effective for them. that's why we're here today. the bottom line is that the dodd-frank act puts unnecessary rules and regulations on really the entire industry. that takes away from the effectiveness how nimble the marketplace can be, it takes away and adds costs to consumers who would wish to not only make a trade -- they've already gotten the advice they

need. and now is executing that trade without trying to receive necessarily someone who's trying to be careful about what they do. so mr. speaker, you know why we're here today. i urge my colleagues to vote yes on the rule and the underlying legislation. i yield back the balance of my time and i move the previous question. the speaker pro tempore: all time having expired, the question is on ordering the previous question on the resolution. those in favor say aye. those opposed, no. in the opinion of the chair, the ayes have it. the previous question is ordered. mr. polis: mr. speaker. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from colorado. mr. polis: on that i'd like to request the yeas and nays. the speaker pro tempore: the yeas and nays are requested. those favoring a vote by the yeas and nays will rise. a sufficient number having arisen, the yeas and nays are ordered. members will record their votes by electronic device. pursuant to clause 9 of rule 20, the chair will reduce to five minutes the minimum time for any electronic vote on the question of adoption. 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.]