how many times they've met and such? >> i can't give you a presize number on how many times they've met. they -- essentially it is senior staff from all of the adopting agencies. the federal reserve board, cftc, s.e.c., o.c.c., i think i got everybody in there. and they meet quite frequently in person. >> continue to watch this online at c-span.org. the house is gaveling in for legislative work, including a couple of bills do you go with ukraine, russia sanctions and funding for the voice of america and radio free europe. live house coverage here on c-span. [captioning performed by national captioning institute] [captions copyright national cable satellite corp. 2014] on, resignation is accepted. the chair lays before the house a message.

the clerk: to the congress of the united states, on january 31, 2014, secretary of the interior sally joule certified under section 8 of the fisherman's protect i act of 1967, the pelle amendment, the nationals of iceland are conducting trade in whale meat and products that diminishes the effect i every -- effectiveness of the rule on rade of flora and fauna. this is the third certification by united states government agencies of iceland for their continued whaling activities. in 2004, secretary of commerce a ld l. evans advance made documentation because their scientific whaling program minished the whaling

population. in 2011, secretary of congress gary locke increased actions to be taken by members of the cabinet, federal departments and agencies by again certifying iceland for diminishing the effectiveness of the i.w.c. a single icelandic company conducts fin whaling. iceland doesn't consume most of these, rather, they are exported mainly to japan. iceland's commercial harvest of fin whales escalated in 2009 and 2010, was suspended in 2011 and 2012, due to difficulties in the japanese market after the earthquake and zunino and resumed in 2013. between 1987 and 2008, iceland hunted a total of seven fin whales. in 2007, they hunted 125 fin whales, followed by 148 in 2010. zero in the years 2011 through

2012, and 134 fin whales in 2013. on december 16, 2013, iceland set its 2014 to 2019 quota at 154 fin whales per year, an increase in its previous yearly whaling quo to ta. according to the i.w.c., a harvest of 46 fin whales in the north atlantic is biologically sustainable. iceland's actions threaten the fin whale is ch is among the species most threatened with extinction and the effort to ensure greater worldwide protection for whales. i concur with the recommendation as presented by the secretary of the interior to pursue the use of nontrade measures and that the actions outlined are the appropriate course of action to address this issue. accordingly, i'm directing the secretary of the treasure to impose trade measures on icelandic producters in whaling

activities that led to the certification by the secretary of the interior, the departments of state, commerce and interior will continue to monitor and encourage iceland to revise its policies regarding commercial whaling. further, within six months, i have directed relevant departments and agencies to report to me through the departments of state, commerce and the interior on their actions. i believe continuing focus on icelandic whaling activities is needed to cause iceland to halt commercial whaling and support international conservation efforts. signed, barack obama, the white house. the speaker pro tempore: referred to the committees on foreign affairs and natural resources and ordered printed. pursuant to clause 8 of rule 20 the chair will postpone further proceedings today on motions to suspend the rules on which a recorded vote or the yeas and nays are ordered or on which the vote incurs objection under clause 6 of rule 20. recorded votes of postponed questions will be taken later. for what purpose does the

gentleman from california seek recognition? >> mr. speaker, i move to suspend the rules and concur in the senate amendments to h.r. 4152. the speaker pro tempore: the clerk will report the title of the bill. the clerk: h.r. 415 , an act to provide for the costs of loan guarantees for ukraine. the speaker pro tempore: pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from california, mr. royce, and the gentleman from new york, mr. engel, each will control 20 minutes. the chair recognizes the gentleman from california. mr. engel: mr. speaker, could i ask that all members have five legislative days to revise and extend their remarks. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. mr. royce: thank you, mr. speaker. i yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. royce: thank you, mr. speaker. i rise in support of this important legislation to support the ukrainian people and stand up to russian aggression. just a few days ago, the house of representatives acted

decisively, passing similar legislation authored by myself and by mr. eliot engel of new york, our ranking member. we authored that vote -- we authored that bill and i might add that mr. engel himself, his forefathers, came from the ukraine and suffered under that region's long and tortured history but the bill passed 399-19 on the house floor. i prefer the more comprehensive bill backed by the house. but with today's vote, we will send this bill to the senate, demonstrating bipartisan support for ukraine at this critical time. importantly, this bill expands the sanctions available to be imposed on russia's leaders for their actions.

the president should beudesing all of this -- should be using all this authority in conjunction with our injure pain -- european allies putting as much pressure in place as we can. our targets must include those who exercise influence over russian policy including the so-called oligarches and others who have amassed enormous wealth through government corruption. ukraine faces many challenges that will not be resolved quickly or easily. this legislation responds quickly to help ukrainians help themselves, helping to strengthen civil society and combat corruption. the task of righting ukraine is all the more difficult given the threat of russian troops on its borders. while the russian army is on their east, it is russia's considerable resources that allow moscow to hold ukraine

hostage. for many years they've use thared supply of oil and gas to blackmail ukraine and other countries, including some of our nato allies in eastern europe this morning, gasprom announced it would hike the price of gas to ukraine by 44% a an announcement deliberately timed to worsen that country's economic situation. we can remove this weapon from russia's arsenal by lifting the self-imposed barriers on u.s. energy exports. the greatly enhanced supply of oil and natural gas added to the world market, we were to ship into ukraine, into hungary, into the czech republic, slovakia, poland, all these countries have written to the speaker of the house requesting us to do that, and that would undermine russia's stranglehold on other countries and reduce the revenues that come price 52% of moscow's budget for its military and

government that would get putin's attention, imposing a cost for aggression. i will add that mr. engel and myself will be traveling with a delegation, a bipartisan delegation, to ukraine in a few weeks and let me urge all members to support this legislation. i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves his time. the gentleman from new york is recognized. mr. engel: thank you very much, mr. speaker. i rise in strong support of h.r. 4152 and i yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. r. engel: let me first open by commending our chair, congressman royce, once again or making such a statesmanlike statement. i agree with everything he said. our bipartisan work in supporting ukraine and our bipartisan work on the entire foreign affairs committee has

been a treasure for both sides of the aisle and certainly for me as ranking member. and for mr. royce as chair. i thank him again for working with us in such a bipartisan fashion. last thursday, the house passed h.r. 4278, the ukraine support act, by the overwhelming margin of 399-19. think about what that means. we have been said that congress can't agree on anything that has been said, if congress can't agree on anything that we can't work together that nothing gets done, this proves it wrong. 399-19, that's pretty bipartisan. and in a very strong showing to the world and to our country, as well, that we get together when things are important and what's happening in ukraine is very, very important. at that time, i made an extended statement about how important it is for the united

states to stand with the people of ukraine and to make it clear that putin and his cronies -- to putin and his cronies that there will be serious cons agains for russia's aggression. with russian forces massing on ukraine's borders, tension is spreading throughout the region and our legislation sends a clear signal that congress won't stand for further violation. today we consider the senate version of our ukraine legislation this bill originated in the house as a measure to provide loan guarantees to ukraine and it passed this body on march 6 by a vote of 385-23. again, another overwhelming, bipartisan majority. the senate then took up this legislation, stripped out our text, inserted the ukraine bill authored by foreign relations committee chairman menendez and ranking member corker and sent it become to the house. like the house bill this legislation authorizes us to help the ukraine as it attempts

to right its struggling economy, strengthen civil society and prepare for democrat exlech this is spring. it supports enhanced security cooperation with ukraine and other countries in the region and provides assistance to help ukraine recover stolen assets. it also imposes sanctions on those responsible for violating ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity, looting ukraine's economy and violating human rights in ukraine. while the two bills are very similar, i wish that a number of provisions in the house legislation had been included in the senate bill. for example, our bill would provide immediate assistance to ukraine as it attempts to right its struggling economy, increase energy security, strengthen civil society and rule of law and prepare for democratic elections this spring. while the senate bill does not authorize assistance into next fiscal year, which doesn't

begin until october 1, the house bill includes an important provision supporting efforts to professionalize ukraine's law enforcement and the house bill includes language that would require extra scrutiny of russian banks that may be involved in nefarious activities in ukraine or other parts of the world. but in the interest of time, i support house passage of this measure so we can get it to the president for his signature as soon as possible. the most important thing here is that both the house and senate are united in sending a strong, bipartisan signal of support to the people of kraine and in providing needed assistance at a critical moment. so i urge all of my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to support this legislation and i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves. the gentleman from california is recognized. mr. royce: i yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from kentucky, mr. rogers, the chairman of the committee on appropriations and the author

of the original house-passed version of this bill, h.r. 4152. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. rogers: i thank the chairman for yielding me this time. i'm pleased to again rise in upport of this bill, h.r. 4152 , a bill that i did introduce and that the house originally passed almost a month ago. to provide loan guarantees for ukraine. the bill has now come back to us from the senate and as has been said with additional authorizations for security and democracy assistance, it also sends, i think, a clear message that the united states will not tolerate the russian incursion into ukraine. human rights abuses or corruption by opposing -- imposing sanctions, visa bans

and asset freezes. as we all know, ukraine is facing an extraordinarily difficult economic situation. the international monetary fund has now said they will step in with a financing package but the united states and our partners must also help during this time of need. by giving the administration the ability to provide loan guarantees from funds already appropriated, this bill will provide some stability for ukraine throughout this tumultuous time. this is a critical bill at an important moment. the congress must stand with the government of ukraine and we must get this bill passed and to the president's desk as soon as possible. we've already waited too long while other issues such as the

i.m.f. got unnecessarily entangled with aid and sanctions proposals. mr. speaker, we must pass this bill today and i hope overwhelmingly. i urge a yes vote and yield back. i think it's important we don't shirk from those interest bus rise with them. when there are problems around the world, the united states needs to be there. doesn't mean being the policemen of the world.

but it means standing with our friends and allies against brutal aggression. when countries stand up for democracy, they look to the united states as the role model and leader. today we are leading. today we're acting as a role model. today we're helping the beleaguered people of the ukraine. the coming weeks and months will be difficult for ukraine. the country faces significant challenges as it seeks to return to political and economic health. so it's very important that the people of ukraine know that the u.s. stands with them. they should know that we will support them as they seek to build a more democratic, prosperous and just state and society and they will know that we support them in urging them to look westward rather than eastward. that's what russia fears. they fear that these countries will look westward. they will look west and see the

western allies and see what we have to offer and then they look eastward and they see putin as a bully, someone who will do whatever is necessary to keep them in line. they don't want want that. putin may think they are rebuilding the old soviet union but we are pushing forward and stand with the people of ukraine in their quest for democracy. i urge all my colleagues to vote for this bill and i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. the gentleman from california. mr. royce: well, this bill comes as a critcrl time. in closing, i will say u.s. officials are pressing russia, are pressing president putin to respect ukrainian sovereignty, but this diplomacy will only have a chance if it is backed up by a combination of the threat of tough sanctions that

are being implemented to their fullest and by the message of more energy independence for the ukraine. i am very pleased to have worked closely with ranking member engel and with many other members on this bipartisan legislation. it representing, as mr. engel indicated, what congress can accomplish on the floor of this house in terms of policy when we unite to advance u.s. interests. by our action here today, we will send a clear message of american resolve and that message will be heard in kiev, it will be heard in moscow, it's going to be heard around the globe, so i urge all members to support this legislation and i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. the question is will the house suspend the rules and pass -- and concur in the senate amendment to h.r. 4152.

those in favor say aye. those opposed, no. in the opinion of the chair, 2/3 having responded in the affirmative, the rules are suspended -- mr. royce: mr. speaker, on that i request the yeas and nays. the speaker pro tempore: the yeas and nays are requested. all those in favor of taking this vote by the yeas and nays will rise and remain standing until counted. a sufficient number having arisen, the yeas and nays are ordered. pursuant to clause 8 of rule 20, further proceedings on this uestion will be postponed. for what purpose does the gentleman from california seek recognition? mr. royce: mr. speaker, i move to suspend the rules and pass s. 2183. the speaker pro tempore: the clerk will report the title of the bill. the clerk: senate 2183, an act the united states international programming to ukraine and neighboring regions. the speaker pro tempore: pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from california, mr. royce, and the gentleman from new york, mr. engel, each will

control 20 minutes. the chair recognizes the gentleman from california. mr. royce: thank you, mr. speaker. i'm going to ask unanimous consent that members may have five legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and to include extraneous material in the bill. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, the gentleman is recognized. mr. royce: thank you, mr. speaker. i'm going to yield myself such time as i may consume. i rise in strong support of s. 2183, legislation to bolster u.s.-backed international broadcasting to ukraine and the surrounding region. this legislation passed the house overwhelmingly last week as part of h.r. 4278. it was authored by myself and mr. engel. while the senate did not act on the full house package of legislation to support ukraine, i am pleased that the senate did recognize and act on this important piece of legislation, sending this back and with its passage this bill goes to the president's desk.

mr. speaker, this legislation is central to our effort to counter russian aggression and type of nd to send the support we need to send to democratic development of ukraine. throughout the crisis, russians and ukrainians alike have been bombarded by betrayals of ukrainian protestors in the interim government, as you can hear on the russian propaganda broadcast, what they call fascist mercenaries. this, of course, is a rather deplorable attempt to draw a connection between those who yearn for freedom in ukraine and overwhelmingly the country of ukraine voted for independence, draw a connection and attempt to draw a connection between that and the brutal nazi invasion of the second world war. in this false narrative, which

really is sort of the big argument here, stark images of chaos and violence are used to persuade viewers that ethnic and linguistic russians are under attack in ukraine. footage of a border crossing between ukraine and poland has been used to support the outlandish claims that ukrainian refugees are fleeing into russia. in crimea, russian forces have seized control over at least a dozen television and radio stations that are now used to broadcast misleading and false news and information around the clock. russian propaganda right now is really in overdrive. a survey by russia's only independent polling service earlier this month showed that 3% of russians believe the

media pour trails and believe they're portraying an objective picture of ukraine. now, this bill puts us on the offensive in this information battle. it does so by requiring radio free europe, radio liberty and the voice of america to increase broadcast to the people of eastern ukraine and crimea, prioritizing programming to populations that are being inundated with russian propaganda and combating the misinformation they are receiving. this bill also supports efforts to circumvent russian jamming. the russian government has targeted ukrainian television and radio stations, jamming their signals and disrupting their ability to reach ukrainian audiences while the russian propaganda broadcasts come in relentlessly. in addition, this bill supports u.s. international broadcasting

to the balkans and muldova, two regions that are subject to the wider russian propaganda campaign. the free flow of information forms the foundation for a strong democratic society. russian propaganda kills democratic prospects. this is the problem with the fact that the state and russia has now taken over all independent media. as they struggle to build democracy, this bill will help provide the people of ukraine with news and information that is accessible, that's credible, that's accurate. will basically be surrogate broadcasting. so i urge its passage and i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves the balance of his time. the chair recognizes the gentleman from new york. mr. engel: thank you very much, mr. speaker. i rise in strong support of s. 2183, a bill to provide surge

news broadcast to the people of ukraine and the surrounding region in order to counter russian propaganda, and i yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: so ordered, the gentleman is recognized. mr. engel: thank you, mr. speaker. i want to again concur with everything that chairman royce said. i agree with every word he mentioned. i'm again very happy to have been working closely with him on this legislation in a bipartisan fashion. chairman royce feels, as i do, particularly strongly about broadcasting and it is something that's very important. it's something that helped to win the cold war. it's something that we're able to get into countries so they hear the truth when they are denied the truth from their own government. and that's what this bill does. over the past few weeks, the people of ukraine, russia and much of eastern europe have been bombarded by false and misleading information

broadcast by the state-controlled and directed russian media. among other things, the so-called reports claim the fascist and neonazis have taken control of the government in kiev, that they have been attacking ethnic russians in ukraine and several things in crimea, that they have engaged in widespread anti-semitic acts. and the lack of evidence that substantiate these insid year claims, president putin and others claimed the alleged events to invade crimea and the massive of troops on ukraine's borders. it's important to note that a number of prominent jewish leaders in ukraine, including the chief rabbi, have recently made clear that the russian allegations about anti-semitic acts in ukraine are false and that this baseless propaganda has been used as a pretext for the illegal annexation of

crimea. i ask unanimous consent to insert in the record a letter rom ukrainian jewish leaders debunking these claims. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, so ordered. mr. engel: thank you, mr. speaker. the legislation before us today, which is very similar to a provision included in the bipartisan ukraine support act that passed the house last week is a critical piece of our comprehensive approach to address the crisis in ukraine. s. 2183 directs radio free europe, radio liberty and the voice of america to significantly increase radio tv and internet programming in ukraine and other countries in the region. rfe/fl to help supporters in eastern ukraine and crimea and focus on news and information that directly rebutts misinformation from the

crimen controlled russian media. this legislation originated in the house as part of the foreign affairs committee's ukraine support act and was broken up in the senate to create a separate bill. in the interest of expediting passage, i will support the bill, but in the future i might expect that congress would follow a different process. mr. speaker, i urge my colleagues to join me in 2183 to help people in the region have access to objective and comprehensive news, and i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves the balance of his time. the gentleman from california is recognized. mr. royce: i'll continue to reserve, mr. speaker. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves the balance of his time. the gentleman from new york is recognized. mr. engel: thank you, mr. speaker. i now yield three minutes to the gentleman from virginia, a very respected member of our foreign affairs committee, mr. connolly. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from virginia is recognized. mr. connolly: thank you, mr. speaker. i thank my good friend from new

york. let me begin first by thanking and extending my accommodation to the distinguished chairman of our committee, mr. royce, and our distinguished ranking member, mr. engel. they have exported the foreign affairs committee -- they have come ported the foreign affairs committee in a civil and bipartisan collegial fashion that i think is a model for this congress, and i wish we could immolate that in more of our committee work and here on the floor of the house of representatives. they understand, both of them, that foreign policy has to be bipartisan, that the united states' interest must trump partisan issues and interests and i thank them both for their leadership and their inspiration. i rise in strong support of these two bipartisan bills which contain provisions supported by our committee and the full house in recent weeks. the house initially passed a bill that provides loan guarantees to the ukraine on march 6, and with today's vote, the bill will finally go to the

president for his signature. it authorizes $150 million in aid to the ukraine and another $100 million for fiscal -- for this fiscal year for increased u.s. security cooperation among nato states in response to the situation in ukraine. this compromised legislation will also codify and expand the sanctions imposed last month by the obama administration against certain russian and ukrainian officials who've undermined the ukrainian government for committed human rights abuses. the second bill authorizes up to $10 million for radio free europe/radio liberty and the voice of america to increase their broadcasts into eastern ukraine, including the crimea, muldova and other nearby ethnic russian communities, consistent with the house-passed bill. as the ranking member just noted, the power of radio, certainly was something we saw during the cold war era, where truth can be beamed into homes, people have the courage to listen and it actually changed minds, hearts and ultimately

the politics of the entire soviet-dominated region. mr. speaker, the yeats and a -- and its allies cannot allow the flagrant violation of sovereignty that occurred in imea, in violation of law, stand. it would be turning our backs on the lessons we should have learned from the catastrophic events of the previous century. mr. putin's claimed that russian speakers in crimea were in jeopardy is nothing more than a fabrication and a ruse. russia's interests were never threated -- threatened in the crimea. the current treaty with crimea provided russia with naval and military privileges and bases through the year 2042. that treaty was never threatened by kiev.

that treaty was never abrogated in the russian lower chamber of parliament voted to abrogate it. putin has learned nothing from history and is in fact bent on repeating it. crimea was settled by stalin to have a russian majority. he expelledened and executed much of the native population. mr. putin seems to have learned nothing from that other than there is power at the end of the barrel of a gun. the so called referendum in crimea was frankly carried out with the assistance of bused in thugs and at the end of the barrel of a gun. i guess, as i said before, with respect to mr. putin, once a k.g.b. agent, always a k.g.b. agent. if mr. putin's goal was to deter the ukraine and other ormer soviet satellite nations

, he has failed miserably. they are looking at this aggression and turning even more to the west. for their orientation and support. and as they do, the united states and its allies must be there to stand with them against this naked aggression, a raw and reckless act by the russian government and i urge my colleagues to support these two bills, speak with one voice on behalf of the united states congress and send a decisive message to the aggressor, mr. putin, and his russian government. with that, i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. the chair recognizes the gentleman from california. mr. royce: i reserve the right to close. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves his right to close. the chair recognizes the gentleman from new york. mr. engel: thank you, mr. speaker. in closing, i would like to say that information is power and we must not yield the media landscape to intentional efforts from a state controlled and directed russian media to mislead the people of ukraine and the surrounding countries

by providing false and deceptive information. these reports, as was mentioned, have been used as a pretext to the annexation of crimea and possible incursions into eastern ukraine and even msks uldova and i might say even georgia. that's why -- and even muldova and i might say even georgia. that's why this bill is necessary, make sure there's unbiased news and information. i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. the gentleman from california is recognized. mr. royce: it is a sad state of affairs, there was one television station left in russia that had some measure of independence that wasn't state controlled, and russia -- president putin went after that institution and now it is no longer broadcasting. russia has been waging an

intense, aggressive, and very blunt disinformation campaign and not only is that campaign directed at disinformation to people in ukraine but they have also spun tales of sinister plotting by the west. this measure, s. 2183, responds by directing u.s. international broadcasters to advance access to uncensored sources of information, the truth, about what is happening on the ground in ukraine, to use stringers and reporters and to operate as a surrogate radio broadcast source in order to get news and information to people that otherwise subject to the russian propaganda, state-run propaganda that is coming into the country. i think it is important that

this be done because the ukraine yain -- ukrainian stations themselves have been jammed by the russians, by the russian government and you know, the former head of radio free europe once described the mission of his broadcasts as one that irritates authoritarian regimes, inspires democrats, and creates greater space for civil society. we need to create greater space for civil society in eastern europe today. we need to provide a platform to inspire those who want to see democratic governance and that's the -- the type of response that is needed for year -- is needed. for year this is type of broadcasting has been piftal in helping young democracies push back against media lies and dits distortions and get off their feet. we know how important this

broadcasting can be. it's the type of broadcasting needed now in ukraine and the surrounding region more than ever so i urge the house to pass s. 2183 and ensure that russian attempts to undermine democracy in ukraine through an intense propaganda campaign do not go unanswered. thank you, mr. speaker. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. the question is, will the house suspend the rules and pass senate bill 2183? those in favor say aye. those opposed, no. in the opinion of the chair -- mr. royce: i request the yeas and nays. the speaker pro tempore: the yeas and nays are requested. those in favor of taking this vote by the yeas and nays will rise and remain standing until counted. a sufficient number having risen, the yeas and nays are ordered. pursuant to clause 8 of rule 20, further proceedings on this

uestion will be postponed. for what purpose does the gentleman from texas seek recognition? >> mr. speaker, i move to suspend the rules and pass the bill h.r. 2413, the weather forecasting improvement act of 2014 as amended. the speaker pro tempore: the clerk will report the title of think bill. the clerk: h.r. 2413, a bill to re-authorize noaa resources to a program on affordable and attainability advantages and modeling capabilities to deliver substantial improvement in weather forecasting and prediction of high impact weather events such as tornadoes and hurricanes and for other purposes.

the speaker pro tempore: pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from texas, mr. smith, and the gentlewoman from oregon, ms. bonamici, each will control 20 minutes this chair recognizes the gentleman from texas. mr. smith: i ask unanimous consent that all members have five legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on h.r. 2413, the bill now under consideration. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, so ordered. the chair recognizes the gentleman from texas. mr. smith: i yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. smith: h.r. 241234erk weather forecasting improvement act of 2014, will greatly improve our severe weather forecasting capabilities. i thank the gentleman from oklahoma, mr. bridenstine, for his work on this bill. severe weather routinely affects large portions of the united states. this past year has been no different. the united states needs a world class weather prediction system that help prospect american lives and property. our leadership has slipped in

severe weather forecasting. european weather models routinely predict america's weather better than we can. we need to make up for lost ground. h.r. 2413 improves weather observation systems and advances computing and next generation modeling capabilities. the enhanced prediction of major storms is of great importance to protect the public from injury and loss of property this legislation is the result of multiple hearings, a subcommittee markup and member negotiations. again, i thank the gentleman from oklahoma for taking the led on this issue and i want to thank the former chairman of the environmental subcommittee, the gentleman from utah, mr. stewart and the environment subcommittee ranking member, the gentlewoman from oregon, ms. bonamici for their contributions to this bipartisan bill. i urge my colleagues to support this bill and i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves the balance of his time. the gentlewoman from oregon is recognized. ms. bonamici: i yield myself such time as i may consume.

the speaker pro tempore: without objection, so ordered. ms. bonamici: i rise in support of house resolution 2413, the weather forecasting improvement act. this is a bipartisan agreement by members of the science, space, and technology committee. i'm pleased to join my colleagues on the other side of the aisle, the bill's sponsor mr. bridenstine, subcommittee chairman is week ert, former subcommittee chair mr. stewart and chairman smith in support of this bill. i want to thank them as well as ranking member johnson for their work on this important bill. members on both sides of the aisle can be assured that this bill represents a truly is built effort and on discussions with and advice from the weather community. mr. bridenstine introduced a well intentioned bill that went a long way toward improving the ools available to noaa -- noaa for evaluating technologies.

his research was appropriate and helpful. at the subcommittee markup, mr. grayson added a valuable amendment for a focused hurricane research program. representative stewart, then the chairman of the environment subcommittee, worked with my staff and me on a manager's amendment to add to the tools and programs in the original bill. we drew on expert advice from the weather enterprise and from extensive reports from the national academy of sciences and the national academy of public administration. experts told us that to improve weather forecasting, the research at the office of oceans and atmospheric research, or o.a.r., and the forecasting at the national weather service, had to be better coordinated. this legislation contains important provisions to improve that coordination. this bill encourages noaa to integrate research and operations in a way that models the successful innovation structure used by the

department of defense. the bill we're considering today also creates numerous opportunities for the broader weather community to provide input to noaa and their insights as well. at every opportunity, we charged the agency to consult with the american weather industry. and researchers as they develop research plans and undertake new initiatives. we also pressed noaa to get serious about exploring private sector solutions to their data needs. the bill makes clear that we expect historical support for research to continue, the engine of weather forecasting innovation has not always been found within noaa but is often found in the external research community and labs that work with noaa. that collaboration must continue and will continue under this legislation. in addition, the bill includes an explicit focus on tap the expertise of social scientists in how to best communicate

risks and warnings to the public. witnesses who came before the science committee emphasized the importance of this work. the best forecasting skill and technology in the world won't be as effective unless some messages to the public were solved in the right safety response. the bill before us today is designed to improve public safety, enhance the american economy, and transform the innovation culture at noaa. i'm confident that its passage will improve weather forecasting and tangibly benefit our constituents. i can assure members on both sides of the aisle that weather research is strengthened in this bill but not at the expense of other important work at noaa. during the committee process, we heard from witness after witness who stressed that weather forecasting involves many different scientific disciplines, and this integrated, multidisciplinary approach reflects an understand tag we cannot choose to strengthen one area of research

at o.a.r. without endangering the progress in other areas, because they are all interconnected. physical and chemical laws do not respect o.a.r.'s budgeting boundaries of climate, weather, and oceans, and this bill only addresses organizational issues at weather at noaa. thank you to chair smith and ranking member johnson for giving us the support to work out a compromise. i want to reiterate my thanks to mr. bridenstine for his willingness to work with us and accept changes to the original bill and i want to particularly thank representative chris stewart, former chair of the environment subcommittee, whose attitude throughout the process was collaborative and constructive, allowing us to arrive at the bipartisan bill we have before us today. chair schweikert who took on the chairmanship of the subcommittee when mr. stewart went to the committee on appropriations brought with him that same collaborative spirit, and finally i want to thank the hardworking staff on both sides of the aisle.

mr. speaker, weather is not a partisan issue. the american public needs and deserves the best weather forecasting system we can provide. this bill has broad support in the weather community among research institutions, established businesses and emerging companies. supporters include the american commercial space weather association, university consortium for atmospheric research, geooptics, planet i.q. and the weather coalition. thank you, mr. speaker, i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman reserves, the gentleman from texas is recognized. mr. smith: i yield to the gentleman from oklahoma, mr. bridenstine, the author of this bill. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from oklahoma is recognized. mr. bridenstine: thank you, mr. speaker. a massive tornado struck moore, oklahoma, with very little warning. the moore tornado killed 24 oklahomans, injured 377 and

resulted in an estimated $2 billion worth of damage. a warning was issued only 15 minutes before the tornado touched down. just 15 minutes. in fact, 15 minutes is the standard in america. mr. speaker, america can do better than 15 minutes. the weather forecasting improvement act is the first step toward restoring america's leadership in weather forecasting and prediction. i'd like to thank chairman lamar smith and the science committee staff for their hard work. h.r. 24123, the weather forecasting improvement act, is critical legislation that will save lives and protect property and critical infrastructure. i'd also like to thank the former environment subcommittee chairman, chris stewart, now a member of the appropriations committee, and my friend and colleague from oregon, suzanne bonamici, for making this truly a bipartisan effort. mr. speaker, this bill is about priorities. when america has over $17

trillion of debt, the answer is not more spending, but about prioritizing necessary spending towards its best uses. saving lives and protecting property should be the national oceanic and atmospheric administration's top priority. this bill codifies that priority. h.r. 2413 directs noaa to prioritize weather-related activities and rebalances noaa's priorities to bring weather-related activities to a higher amount. the bill completes this repry orization in a -- reprioritization in a fiscally sponge manner. h.r. 2314 does not increase noaa's overall authorization. it doesn't spend one more dime. mr. speaker, this bill helps get weather research products out of the lab and into the field thereby speeding up the document -- development of weather-forecasting technology,

by requiring coordination and prioritization across the range of noaa agencies, h.r. 2314 will help weather prediction and forecasting technologies, will help get these technologies off the drawing board and into the field. this designates tornado programs to help coordinate activities. it directs the director of atmospheric research to help prioritizes its research and development and it transfers them a vital link to ensure next generation weather technologies are implemented. mr. speaker, perhaps most importantly, h.r. 2413 enhances nye's collaboration with the private sector and with noaa's collaboration with the private sector and universities. noaa has world-class institutions such as the national weather center and the national severe storms

laboratory at the university of oklahoma, and i'd like to anchor here, just to brag for a second what's happening at the university of oklahoma. as a navy pilot, i've seen firsthand laser technology being used to detect, track enemy aircraft from many, many miles away. this technology is now being used for at the university of oklahoma is to detact and track clouds and small particles in clouds and those particles can provide reflective radar imagery and we can now predict tornados over an hour in advance which is the goal of this piece of legislation. saving lives and property requires us to be able to detect, to warn people based on the forecast of a tornado, not just based on the detection of a tornado, moving from 15 minutes to over an hour in advance to detect tornadoes. not only is this possible, it's been done. and they're doing it currently at the university of oklahoma. mr. speaker, this bill also clarifies that noaa can

purchase weather data through contracts with commercial providers and place weather satellite instruments on private payloads. leveraging the private sector will lead to lower costs for better weather data, again, saving lives and property. mr. speaker, the imbalance of noaa's resources is leaving america further behind our international competitors. the science committee received compelling testimony, showing that the european union has better capabilities in some areas of numerical weather prediction, forecasting and risk communication and other countries such as britain and japan are closing fast. misallocating resources can have terrible consequences, as my constituents and the people of oklahoma understand all too well every tornado season. the weather forecasting improvement act is the first step towards rebalancing noaa's priorities, moving new technologies from the lab bench to the field and leveraging formidable capabilities developed in the private sectors and in universities. i urge my colleagues to support

this bipartisan bill, and i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from texas reserves the balance of his time. the gentlewoman from oregon is recognized. ms. bonamici: thank you, mr. speaker. i continue to reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman reserves the balance of her time. the gentleman from texas is recognized. mr. smith: mr. speaker, i yield three minutes to the gentleman from arizona, mr. schweikert, who is also chairman of the environment subcommittee of the science committee. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from arizona is recognized for three minutes. mr. schweikert: thank you, mr. speaker and mr. chairman and to ranking member bonamici and to the sponsor of our bill. this is actually one of those movements where you're going over -- moments where you're going over a piece of legislation and i'm very proud of everyone that's worked on it. maybe this was a little too strong of language but in a way it removes whether it be excuses or statutory straitjackets away from noaa, away from o.a.r., and the optionality of how do you design data sets, how do you

reach out to the cloud, to the world around you and gather their technology and how they're doing weather forecasting? and you just hear chairman bridenstine speak of big weather events, whether it be tornadoes that affect his district, but think of the people that are impacted in this legislation. i'm from the desert southwest. we have someone from the wet and rainy northwest. we've had people from around the country that represents very, very types of climates from their districts. and that's actually something that's really special about this piece of legislation. i actually have the sort of level of enthusiasm. last month was my birthday. yeah. and my mother -- excuse me -- my wife bought me this weather station that sits on the side of the house and it talks to the wi-fi which talks to the cloud which their goal is to set up hundreds of thousands of data points that are collected by enthusiasts like myself and

across the country and put that data together. can you imagine a world where noaa actually becomes the hub of so many data sets and then when the opt optionality of reaching out and finding what technology, which mechanics are out there and put it together and help us from the microclimates that i may have in my neighborhood to the terrible storm that may be threatening the florida coast, and this is the future and this bill actually moves us toward that future. and with that i yield back, mr. chairman. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. mr. smith: i have no further speakers on this side and am prepared to close. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves his time. the gentlewoman from oregon is recognized. ms. bonamici: thank you, mr. speaker. i have no speakers on my side and am prepared to close. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady is recognized. ms. bonamici: thank you very much, mr. speaker. i want to thank my colleague on the committee. i really appreciate working

with him. i want to make clear that when we worked on this vote the yeas are was a preprioritization and how the office of national oceanic and atmospheric administration and atmospheric research, the key reprioritization ties the needs of forecasters at the national weather service to the research initiatives at o.a.r. and i'm glad that my colleagues have worked on this important bill. this legislation will make real and measurable improvements in weather research and weather forecasting and i urge my colleagues to support this effort. thank you, mr. speaker. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman yeemeds back. the gentleman from -- the gentlewoman yields back. the gentleman from texas. mr. smith: i'd like to thank ms. bonamici, mr. bridenstine and mr. schweikert for their work on this legislation. it's going to save lives and property and going to benefit many, many americans. i yield back the balance of my time.

the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. the question is will the house suspend the rules and pass the bill h.r. 2413, as amended. those in favor say aye. those opposed, no. in the opinion of the chair, 2/3 having responded in the affirmative, the rules are suspended, the bill is passed, and without objection the motion to reconsider is laid on the table. and the title is amended, without objection.

the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from california seek recognition? >> mr. speaker, i move to suspend the rules and pass h.r. 4005, as amended. the speaker pro tempore: the clerk will report the title of the bill. the clerk: h.r. 4005, a bill to authorize appropriations for the coast guard for fiscal years 2015 and 2016 and for other purposes. the speaker pro tempore: pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from california, mr. duncan, and the gentleman from california, mr. garamendi, each will control 20 minutes.

the chair recognizes the gentleman from california, mr. duncan. mr. duncan: -- mr. hunter: thank you, mr. speaker. i ask unanimous consent that all members may have five legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on h.r. 4005. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. mr. hunter: thank you, mr. speaker. i yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. hunter: thank you, mr. speaker. this is the coast guard and maritime transportation act of 2014. it re-authorizes at levels that are fiscally sound and that will reverse the misguided cuts proposed by this administration. the president proposed to slash the services acquisition budget by over 20%, reduce the number of service members by over 1,300, undermine readiness by cutting program hours for aircraft and jeopardize the success of search and rescue missions by taking fixed wing aircraft crew off of alert status. it will have gaps, increase acquisition delays, drive up the cost of new assets and deny our service members the critical resources needed to

perform their duties. h.r. 4005 provides sufficient funding to ensure these cuts do not happen and the service has what it needs to successfully conduct its mission. in 2012, last year we had the numbers for the coast guard, responded over 19,700 search and rescue cases, saved over 3,500 lives, conducted over 20,000 safety and environmental 163 metric d over tons of illegal drugs. the coast guard is our first line of defense in this country. . this is a 425-foot friget that the navy is even jealous of it are. -- of. it also prepares us to buy the new offshore patrol cutter and it also transfers 14 c-27-j's

from the air force to the coast guard for not a penny, not a dime, not a penny, totally free, transfers from the air force to the coast guard, can put those into effect. the bill also makes several reforms to coast guard authorities. as well as laws governing shipping and a navigation. specifically h.r. 4005 supports coast guard service members by authorizing military pay raises and enhancing military benefits. there's about 42,000 active duty coastguardsmen patrolling all the navigable waters throughout the united states in rivers and bays and seas, and also every single piece of coast line that we have. 42,000. compare that to the marine corps numbers, over 175,000, the army, over 400,000. yet the coast guard's responsibility for -- responsible for every single piece of american water, every inland waterway, the great lakes, every river, that's what the coast guard is responsible for. and if you talk about weapons of mass destruction coming in through american ports, from

the ocean, the coast guard's our first line of defense there too. this bill improves coast guard mission effectiveness by replacing and modernizing assets. it enhances oversight of the coast guard, reduces inefficient operations and saves taxpayer dollars by making commonsense reforms to coast guard missions and administration. the bill helps make veterans -- the bill helps veterans make an easier transition from the coast guard into the life of a mariner so they can get out and get good-paying jobs in industries. so it gives them time and service for their coast guard time as opposed to making them go through all of the hurdles and jumps and hoops that you would have to go through otherwise it. encourages jobs growth in the maritime sector by cutting regulatory burdens on job reators and it re-authorizes and reforms the structure and operations of the federal maritime commission. h.r. 4005 is a bipartisan effort that was put together in close consultation with the minority. i want to thank ranking members

rahall and garamendi for their efforts and chairman shuster for his leadership. i'd also like to thank the committee staff whose depths of knowledge on the coast guard and maritime issues are unfathomable and lieutenant commander steven west, my coast guard fellow, that was our reality check in this committee by giving us great advice when we needed it. finally, i want to take a minute to point out that this bill will be the last coast guard authorization bill that will benefit from the advice and support of the only member of congress with service in the coast guard. our colleague and friend, howard coble. howard is a korean war veteran with five years of act of duty in the coast guard and another 18 years in the coast guard reserve. he is a founder of the congressional coast guard caucus as well as an active member and former chairman of our subcommittee. throughout his career in congress, howard has been a tireless advocate for the men and women of the coast guard. him for im and commend

his service to our nation and his contributions to this and past coast guard authorizations and to this congress and i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves the balance of his time. the gentleman from california, mr. garamendi, is recognized. mr. garamendi: thank you, mr. speaker. i yield myself as much time as i may consume. h.r. 4005, the coast guard and maritime transportation act of 2014, is bipartisan legislation. maintaining a safe, relionel and efficient maritime -- reliable and efficient maritime economy enables foreign and domestic trade to fuel the u.s. conomy and it remains vital. this legislation will provide the coast guard with the resources and policy tools it needs to fulfill its vital missions. i want to thank chairman hunter and his staff for their willingness to work with me and several of the democratic members and also want to commend chairman shuster and ranking member nick rahall for their valuable contributions to this bill. we thank you, gentlemen.

h.r. 400 5 will provide not only the budget -- 4005 will provide not only the budget stability, it will provide several initiatives to revitalize our maritime industry. for example, h.r. 4005 will better align the coast guard's mission needs with its long-term capital planning and annual budgetary processes. and explicit cooperation agreement authority is also granted. it provides a new multiyear procurement authority for the offshore patrol cutter, the o.p.c., a critical and new asset. it directs the administration to enforce our cargo preference laws. no way out, guys. enforce those laws and regulations. something that's long overdue. it will streamline the administrative processes to make it easier for our veterans to get their civilian licenses and find jobs in the merchant

marine. now, natural gas is a strategic american asset that's allowing america to enjoy low energy costs and a resurgence of american manufacturing. the export of l.n.g. at a modest level could create even more american jobs if that l.n.g. is transported on american-made l.n.g. tankers, flying the american flag, with american sailors. the currently approved export terminals will require approximately 100 l.n.g. tankers. this tanker fleet could be american-made, phased in as the export term nams -- terminals come online and exports grow. american ship yards could build these tankers over the next decade and beyond, creating thousands of jobs and maintaining a vital industrial base for america and our navy. this legislation does direct the government accountability office, the g.a.o., to assess

how future transport of l.n.g. on u.s. tankers could effect american job creation in the u.s. maritime industry. it's a good first step. but we should be doing more. this legislation also directs the department of transportation to develop a new national maritime strategy. a much-needed revision and new thought into what that strategy could be. the bill authorizes a needed increase in the funding for the federal maritime commission and the bill re-authorizes the small ship yard grant program through fiscal year 2017, to improve the quality and competitiveness of our small domestic ship yards. there's more to be done, specifically title 11 needs to be rewritten and redone so that our american ship yards will have the loan guarantees that they need to construct the ships, perhaps those l.n.g. tankers. in close toing, mr. speaker, h.r. -- closing, mr. speaker,

h.r. 4005 is responsible legislation, it deserves an aye vote and i want to thank all who have been involved in writing it. i now reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves the balance of his time. the gentleman from california, mr. hunter, is recognized. mr. hunter: thank you, mr. speaker. i yield the distinguished gentleman and chairman of the full transportation and infrastructure committee as much time as he may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the member from pennsylvania is recognized. >> i thank the speaker and thank the gentleman from california. i rise in support of h.r. 4005, the coast guard and maritime transportation act of 2014. the united states coast guard enforces all u.s. laws on u.s. waterways and when necessary on the high seas. this service saves the life and property of those who sail on our waters for recreation and commerce. they protect our marine natural resources and secure our borders against illegal drugs and against human trafficking. they have a huge job and they deserve our thanks. mr. shuster: h.r. 4005 provides

the service with our support. this bipartisan legislation authorizes the coast guard to carry out all its vital missions, improves its mission effectiveness, helps replace and modernize aging coast guard assets in a cost effective manner and it enhances oversight and reduces inefficiencies to save taxpayer dollars. additionally the bill strengthens the u.s. maritime transportation, reduces regulatory burdens to create jobs and encourage economic growth and improves the nation's competitiveness. specifically, it authorizes funding for coast guard activities in 2015 and 2016 at fiscally responsible levels that will allow the coast guard to continue updating its fleet of aging cutters and continue current operations. supports coast guard service men and women, encouraging the coast guard to work with the private sector, it enhances congressional oversight, improves coast guard acquisition activities, requires development of natural maritime strategy and creates opportunities for our veterans. and it reforms the federal maritime commission.

i would also like to make note, as chairman hunter noted, this is our colleague, howard coble's, last term as a member of the coast guard subcommittee. the gentleman from north carolina has served on the subcommittee and its predecessor, the merchant marine committee, since he came to congress in 1985. he is the only former coast guard now serving in congress and i know the coast guard appreciates his strong support for the service, particularly during his term as subcommittee chairman on this committee. i know all the transportation and infrastructure committee members join me in wishing howard a well-deserved and happy retirement. i want to thank and commebbed subcommittee chairman -- commend subcommittee chairman hunter for introducing this bill and working with ranking member rahall and also ranking member garamendi, for their work on this bill. i also take notice that our good friend from the virgin islands is in the chamber work on a couple of provisions that i know are going to be very beneficial to the u.s. territories. i thank her for her hard work

on this piece of legislation. so i look forward to working with the senate to get a final version of this bill enacted this year. with that i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. the gentleman from california, mr. garamendi, is recognized. mr. garamendi: mr. speaker, i yield two minutes to the good lady from los angeles, ms. hahn. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman from california is recognized for two minutes. ms. hahn: thank you, mr. gar omblend, thank you for yielding -- mr. garamendi, thank you for yielding. today i'd like to discuss the importance of an amendment that i offered to this bill but withdrew it because of jurisdictional concerns. an exchange for dropping this amendment, the language was supposed to be included in the manager's amendment but unfortunately the suspension calendar precluded this from happening. it's my hope that with the help of the chairman, this issue will be taken up during the conference with the senate. under current law, port authorities are required to

develop port security plans which are then submitted to the u.s. coast guard for review. however, ports are not required to address cybersecurity in these plans. and without a requirement, many of our ports have not addressed this issue, creating a gap in our nation's port security. last july the brookings institute released a report stating our nation's port cybersecurity awareness is remarkably low. without requiring ports to address this vulnerability, we risk exposing our nation to a disruption that could devastate our economy and grind the flow of commerce to a halt in matter of days. that's why i offered an amendment to this bill that would have required that ports address cybersecurity in their port security plans that they submit to the coast guard every five years. unfortunately this language was not included in the final bill and it's my hope that it is put in the bill during the conference as it was intended. by requiring every port to begin to address cybersecurity

in their port security plans, we can help avoid a potentially devastating attack that would leave our nation's freight network crippled beyond repair. i appreciate the chairman's willingness to work with me on this issue and i look forward to his support in trying to address this issue in conference. i would like to yield my time to the chairman. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman yields back the balance of her time. the gentleman from california, mr. hunter, is recognized. mr. hunter: to the extent that the transportation and infrastructure committee has jurisdiction over this issue, i look forward to working with the gentlelady from california, to include her proposal, to include cybersecurity as an element in facility security plans. because it is important, we need to figure out who's the best at it, who can do it. it might not be the coast guard or the actual ports, it might be the navy. i think it's important and i look forward to working with you. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady's time is terminated but the gentleman from california is recognized if he

wishes to continue. mr. hunter: i reserve. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves the balance of his time. mr. garamendi: i'd like to yield two minutes to mr. thompson of mississippi. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from mississippi is ecognized. mr. thompson: i thank the gentleman from california for the time. and i also thank him for yielding. mr. speaker, at the outset i'd like to commend chairman shuster and ranking member rahall for their hard work on this legislation before the house today. howard coble coast guard maritime -- coast guard and maritime transportation act of 2014, authorizes the united states coast guard, a critical component of the department of homeland security, for two years. every day the men and women of the coast guard work to protect our ports and waterways from terrorist attack and other dangers. it is for that very reason that

the committee on homeland security should have considered this legislation. nfortunately chairman mccaul rejected my request can consistent with the precedent the committee established in prior conference, he insisted on a referral of this measure. cog so -- doing so would have ensured that the members of the committee on homeland security could inform the bill's security-related provisions in an open markup setting. as a result of chairman mccaul's decision to waive the right of the committee to consider this measure, the house has before it a bill that does not fully take into account the statutory mission of the department of homeland security component it authorizes. in fact, it does not have a single provision solely dedicated to port or maritime security. you've just heard the

gentlelady from california talk about port security and how important it is and i appreciate the gentleman from california saying that he would work with her, but it's also a responsibility of the committee on homeland security. while disappointing, i do not blame the leadership of the committee on transportation and infrastructure for the absence of such provision. it is the responsibility of the committee on homeland security to leave its mark on this important -- the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman's time has expired. the gentleman from california yields 15 seconds. the gentleman from mississippi. mr. thompson: to be clear, it's not a case of the committee of hfs -- homeland security security. it's a case of the chairman failing to ensure his committee was afforded the right to exercise his jurisdictional

authority. with that, mr. speaker, i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from california, mr. hunter, is recognized. mr. hunter: thank you, mr. speaker. i'd like to yield as much time as he may consume, the gentleman from alaska, mr. young. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from alaska is recognized. mr. young: mr. speaker, i'd like to engage in a colloquy with mr. hunter. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. young: i want to thank the chairman of the subcommittee for yielding and thank him for his work. subsection 221 of h.r. 4005 prohibits the secretary of homeland security from dismantling or disposing of any former lohran system infrastructure for one year from the date of enactment of the act or until the date the secretary notifies the committee that such infrastructure is not needed for a position navigation, the timing system to provide redundant capability in the event signals are disrupted,

whichever is latter. is that the chairman's understanding? i'd like to ask the chairman, i am aware there are several important issues including this position associated with them that we should closely examine, deal with in an appropriate manner. i ask the chairman, my colleagues in the committee to work with me to resolve these issues in the context of h.r. 4005 as this bill moves forward. mr. hunter: to extent these issues are within the issues of the committee of transportation and infrastructure, i look forward to working with the gentleman from alaska with regard to the disposition of assets in a manner satisfactory to the longest serving member of the subcommittee and its predecessors. i yield further. mr. young: i want to thank, mr. chairman. i look forward to working on this issue further. i want to extend my heart felt congratulationses, the best wishes to my dear friend and colleague, mr. coble, the only

former coastguardsman now serving in congress, a finer gentleman than mr. coble will be difficult. we will miss you, howard. so please stay in touch. mr. hunter: i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves the balance of his time. the gentleman from california, mr. garamendi, is recognized. mr. garamendi: i yield two minutes to ms. bonamici of oregon. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman from oregon is recognized. ms. bonamici: thank you. i thank the gentleman from california for yielding. mr. speaker, i rise to join my colleagues today in support of h.r. 40405, the coast guard and marine transportation -- maritime transportation act. i know the chairman and ranking members have worked diligently on the underlying bill, and i commend them for their efforts. importantly, i'm grateful for the opportunity to work with them to add language from two bills i introduced to help coastal communities deal with increasing marine debris. since the devastating earthquake and tsunami in japan in 2011, residents of the

pacific northwest have faced an increase in the volume of marine debris reaching our coast. this debris is a hazard to navigators, a threat to the marine environment and the potential drag on coastal tourism. following the arrival of a 66-foot dock on an oregon beach in june of 2012, i worked with a bipartisan coalition on two bills to improve the federal response to marine debris. the first proposal, which i introduced with my friend from washington, congresswoman herrera butler, was introduced -- herrera butteler, was introduced to allow noaa to prioritize grant applications from communities affected by severe marine debreer. i partnered with congressman don young on the second proposal to allow noaa to reimburse states for debris cleanup costs with a generous $5 million gift from the government of japan. i would like to thank the chairman and ranking member of the natural resources committee

for their support with special thanks to my oregon colleague, representative and ranking member peter defazio. i'd like to thank the chairman and ranking member of the transportation and infrastructure committee for including these proposals in the underlying bill. i'm pleased to have worked with so many members on the passage of these bipartisan marine debris provisions, and i urge a yes vote on the underlying bill. thank you, mr. speaker, and i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman yields back. the gentleman from california, mr. hunter, is recognized. mr. hunter: thank you, mr. speaker. i'd like to yield two minutes to the gentleman from north carolina, mr. meadows. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from north carolina is recognized for two minutes. mr. meadows: thank you, mr. speaker. i rise today, i thank the leadership of my good friend and colleague from california, mr. hunter, on his recognition that we need to go forward with this coast guard re-authorization. not only does it put in good

reforms and continue to work in a real way to support our men and women who serve in the coast guard, but it does so in a very quite frankly in a very streamlined way. so i would thank the leadership of congressman hunter. i want to go on further, mr. speaker, to recognize a gentleman from north carolina, the dean of the delegation, congressman howard coble. not only is howard a good friend, but he's served with distinction for more than 30 years here in this house. being an active member of the coast guard, it was his leadership and truly his work with congressman hunter that really set this in motion. and having at the age of 83 that it is time for him to retire from representing the people of the great state of north carolina, i just want to acknowledge this particular

day, mr. speaker, on a great statesman, truly a gentleman. when you look at gentleman in the dictionary, it should have howard coble's picture right beside it. he is the epitome of what it is to not only represent the people of north carolina in such a fine fashion, but he works across party aisles. he works really with his colleagues, both democrat and republican, to make sure that our country is served in the best way possible. it is with great pleasure that i get to speak on behalf of this bill, but in doing so honor a man that knows the coast guard well and knows that the men and women who serve there serve our country in a great way. i thank you. i yield back. i thank you. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. the gentleman from california, mr. garamendi, is recognized. mr. garamendi: i yield two minutes to the gentleman from washington, mr. kilmer. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from washington is recognized. mr. kilmer: thank you, mr.

speaker. i'd like to engage in a colloquy with the gentleman from california, mr. hunter. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. kilmer: thank you, mr. chairman. it contains a provision that would survey water from the puget sound to the gig harbor sand spit area. that property was leased by the city by the coast guard in 1988 to construct a small replica light house and that the city and other local parties have inanced, operated the sand pit area. it las used the area for recreation @purposes. i yield to the chairman. mr. hunter: it is my understanding as well. mr. kilmer: it authorized the disposal of the property. in addition, the city has been in discussions with the coast guard since 2011 regarding transferring the property. i yield to the chairman. mr. hunter: also my understanding. mr. kilmer: the legislation provides a survey of the area. am i correct that when the

federal government completes the survey the chairman will work with me to convey the property to the city? and i yield to the chairman. mr. hunter: to the extent that the transportation and infrastructure committee has jurisdiction over this property, i'll work with the gentleman from washington to convey the property to the city. mr. kilmer: thank you, mr. chairman. i appreciate you working with me on this issue. it is important to my constituents. i look to a final resolution on this issue. it is a cherished maritime gateway to an area in my district which has a long and rich history of boating and commercial fishing. i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. the gentleman from california, mr. hunter, is recognized. mr. hunter: mr. speaker, how much time do i have? the speaker pro tempore: 8 1/2 minutes. mr. hunter: thank you, mr. speaker. i'd like to yield myself such time as i may consume. one thing that this bill does is not only does it inventory this property or it would, it also works to reduce the coast guard's excess property in general. it requires the coast guard to

conduct an inventory of all of its real property and to determine which property can be divested or consolidated to save taxpayers money and to give the land back to the municipalities, the cities and counties which it resides. but this is not, mr. speaker, just a coast guard bill. as the ranking member spoke about and the chairman of the full committee, mr. shuster, it's beyond the coast guard in that this bill is important because it deals with maritime transportation. a healthy maritime industry is vital to our national security. throughout our history, our navy has relied on u.s. flag vessels crewed by american merchant mariners to carry troops, weapons and supplies to the battlefield. when i deployed in my second tour to fallujah, iraq, out of san diego, i was in charge as the logistics officer of driving down all of our equipment with seven tons of humvees and our big battery cannons down to the local pier

in san diego. we then put this on a roll-on/roll-off boat. that's how all of our equipment got over to iraq. it was driven -- this boat was driven, it was manned by american merchant mariners. it was not driven by the navy or the coast guard but by just civilian mariners that do this for us. so i have a very close personal relationship, if you would, because all of the gear that we fell in on in fallujah was stuff that we had shipped over from san diego to iraq. so during operations enduring freedom in afghanistan and in iraqi freedom, u.s. flag commercial vessels transported 63% of all military cargos, like mine, moved to afghanistan and iraq. since we could not rely on foreign vessels and crews to provide for our national security, let's say we relied on the russians to move our military equipment like we rely on them to move our people and equipment into space, it's

critical we maintain a robust fleet of vessels, a large cadre of skilled workers and strong industrial base. let me go through what the maritime sector does to our economy. they employ more than 260,000 americans, providing nearly $29 billion in annual wages. there are more than 40,000 commercial vessels currently flying the american flags in our waterways and the vast majority of these vessels are engaged in domestic commerce. moving over 100 million passengers and $400 billion worth of goods between ports in the u.s. on an annual basis. each year the u.s. maritime industry accounts for over $100 billion in economic output. these are not just port cities that get this economic output. it's the inland waterways, it's the river, the mississippi, the great lakes, all the different locks and dams throughout pennsylvania and the great northeast, the colorado river. those are places where the

coast guard's hard at work and our maritime industry is creating jobs and keeping people -- people's mortgages paid and food on their table. so with that, mr. speaker, i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves the balance of his time. the gentleman from california, mr. garamendi, is recognized. mr. garamendi: mr. speaker, might i inquire as to the amount of time we have remaining? the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman has 9 1/4 minutes remaining. mr. garamendi: i yield to my colleague from texas, ms. jackson lee. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman from texas is recognized for two minutes. ms. jackson lee: i thank the distinguished gentleman for yielding and i thank the manager of this legislation and ask that my remarks -- unanimous consent be submitted -- are able to be submitted in the record. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, so ordered. ms. jackson lee: i am rising with an appreciation for this legislation and also a concern. i think this legislation would have been important to have been referred and for the

waiver not to be exercised to the homeland security committee. i serve as the ranking member of the border security and maritime security committee, and it is known that the coast guard has a responsibility for defending the nation's maritime borders, charged with port, waterway and coastal security. with that in mind, it would be appropriate to address those questions in homeland security. i noticed that this bill limits and reduces a number of commission officers, alters the mission of coast guard centers and did not come before our committee. . in a hearing on the oil spill in houston which has an impact on america's waterways, particularly around the gulf region, and has an impact on security, it was clear that the coast guard were the first responders, they were the first responders in terms of the potential rescue, they were the first responders in terms of being the cops of the waterway, to ensure that all of those who needed to use that waterway and the ports were able to do so.

they were the ones that protected the individuals that were on cruise lines, that were left offshore. and they were of course taking care of commerce. this is clearly part of the responsibility of homeland security. as i indicated, we're very proud of the coast guard. i'm always reminded of the great service that they rendered during hurricane katrina, saving over 1,000 persons. and so i rise today to hope that we'll have an opportunity to address the questions dealing with security. as i do so, however, i want to commend admiral robert pat jr. who is the commandant now of the united states coast guard. 24th united states coast guard commandant, and has served 39 years. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman's time has expired. the gentlewoman is recognized for 30 more seconds. ms. jackson lee: i thank the gentleman and i thank the speaker. commandant pat is a great american. he has been a friend to not only those of us in the united

states congress who are on the responsible committees, but he's been a friend to his men and women that serve in the united states coast guard. commandant pat, we absolute you for your grand service and -- salute you for your grand service and look forward to your continued service to america, but more importantly we owe you a great deal of respect and honor. thank you so very much. i thank the gentleman. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman yields back the balance of her time. the gentleman from california, mr. hunter, is recognized. mr. hunter: mr. speaker, i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves the balance of his time. the gentleman from california, mr. garamendi, is recognized. mr. garamendi: i yield two minutes to the gentlelady from the virgin islands. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman from the virgin islands is recognized for two minutes. mrs. christensen: i thank my friend for yielding. thank you, mr. speaker. i rise too in support of h.r. 4005, the coast guard and maritime transportation act of 2014. and i want to thank the subcommittee chair, chairman hunter, and subcommittee ranking member garamendi, as well as chairman shuster and ranking member rahall for their leadership on the committee and their willingness to include language in the bill that would

rectify a problem that has hurt the charter both -- charter industry in my district. section 312 of the bill would enable u.s.-owned passenger vessels operating in the virgin islands to carry up to 12 passengers, provided the vessels of course meet certain safety requirements. something our charter boat industry has been advocating for at least 20 years. because of the existing rule, our once thriving charter industry has gone to the british virgin islands and estimates of revenue losses to the u.s.v.i. economy range from $70 million to $100 million annually. i also want to thank the council for their invaluable assistance. i've been work on this change since coming to the house and i can honestly say that it is only because of their efforts and the support of chairman shuster and ranking member rahall that we are in the -- on the cusp of finally resolving this issue. i thank them again and i urge my colleagues to support h.r. 4005 and yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the

gentlewoman yields back the balance of her time. the gentleman from california, mr. hunter, is recognized. mr. hunter: mr. speaker, i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves the balance of his time. the gentleman from california, r. garamendi, is recognized. mr. garamendi: mr. speaker, at this time i'd like to ask for unanimous consent to enter into the record a statement by congressman larson. his statement speaks to the issue of the coast guard providing ice breaking services in the arctic and particularly the reconstruction of the polar sea. that statement will be in the record. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. garamendi: i believe we have -- may i inquire as to the time available? the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman has 4 1/4 minutes remaining. mr. garamendi: i believe it's time for a closing statement on the bill. i want to thank mr. hunter and

the staff, the republican staff, and our staff on our side, david and the people that worked on this particular piece of legislation. this legislation's very important to the coast guard and to the american economy because it deals with the international trade. 90% or more of the trade and services go by water. this bill provides the coast guard with the materials that it needs, with the budget authority and with important reforms. the legislation also provides considerable support for the merchant marine elements in our economy and it deals in part with the necessity for the national defense. chairman hunter spoke to the issue of the maritime security program. similarly the bill does speak to the ready reserve program, as well as for the breaking of ships that is the disposal of

ships that have lost their usefulness. it's a comprehensive bill. there's a few more things we should be doing in this piece of legislation, that hopefully we'll be able to take up in the senate or in the conference committee. i spoke earlier about the export of liquefied natural gas, l.n.g. this is an enormous opportunity for america to rebuild its merchant marine, more than 100 ships will be needed to export that l.n.g. those should be american-made ships. manned by american sailors, flying under the american flag. i think we need to also work on title 11, the loan guarantee program for ships that are built in the united states. it's very restrictive in its present form. chairman hunter in his opening remarks also talked about the problem of the appropriations. this bill does provide authorization authority that should be sufficient for all of these elements, the legislation -- the ultimate money available

will be through the appropriations process. i'm very concerned about the austerity budgeting that has consumed this congress for the last three years. and appears to be continuing for the next two. if that happens, all of the good intentions in this bill may be lost upon the shols of an austerity budget. so we need to pay attention to that. it's a good piece of legislation, it's been a great honor to work on this subcommittee as the ranking member. i yield back the balance of my time, asking for a positive vote on this bill. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. the gentleman from california, mr. hunter, is recognized. mr. hunter: thank you, mr. speaker. may i inquire how much time i have left? the speaker pro tempore: five minutes. mr. hunter: thank you, mr. speaker. i'd like to thank mr. garamendi from california. he was great to work with on this. had some disagreements but we agree on the majority of it. i'd like to thank you for your support and it was great working with you and we'll do it more in the future. i will also take into account

what mr. garamendi said about an icebreaker. america is the only arctic nation without an icebreaker. we don't have one. china has them, russia has them, canada has them. just about everybody else that has any arctic in its sphere of influence has an icebreaker. except for the united states. meaning if an american oil ship got stuck in the arctic, guess who would bail them snout our good friends, the russians. maybe our good friends, the communist chinese. the canadians, if we're lucky, will have a ship available to we can at least go with a free country if we had to get that ship out of trouble. we don't have an icebreaker. that's a traffic esty. icebreakers are expensive, especially if you just buy one. they're about $1 billion by the coast guard's account. there's other options to get an ice break. you can lease an icebreaker, like you lease a car. and it can be operated by merchant mariners, the same ones we've been when talking about this bill, that's who could run this icebreaker. we're going to work on that and that should be this

subcommittee and this committee's crowning achievement, is getting an american icebreaker on the high seas to support american industry and american sea fairers in the arctic. number two -- sea farers in the arctic. number two, maritime transportation is more than just important to this country. it is what this country is all about. there's an old saying in the department of defense, and i was a marine, so let me just throw this out there, whoever controls the oceans controls the world. now you can say whoever controls space controls the oceans. but whoever controls the oceans controls the world. america is vounleded by water for the most part. all of our trade comes in through the pacific or atlantic and it's important, it's more than important, it's the most important thing out there that we make sure two things. that we protect these trade routes on the high seas for goods coming in and out of this country, number two, we have to secure our ports and coast line. from drugs, from illegal immigrants, and most importantly from a weapon of mass destruction that might be smuggled to our shore line,

then detonated by one of our port cities. that's easier to do than it is now to fly an airplane and land in an american airport and set something off. it's also easier to do than it is to cross the southern border and sneak across with some weapon of mass destruction. it's easier to get a ship or cargo container ship with the weapon of mass destruction off of an american coast than it is to get into this country any other way. when it comes to maritime transportation, americans are leading the way in making these ships. we just made in san diego a company calleds in a could he, a ship building company in san diego, just built or is in the process of building right now the first liquefied natural gas -powered ships. they're not container ships that carry liquefied natural gas, l.n.g., but they're powered by it. they're the first ones in the world. and they're being made here in this country. so we might not be able to make cheap ships, as easily as a country -- as nations that don't have the same labor laws or environmental laws, but we

can still make the most technologically advanced ships in the world and we're doing that today. lastly, the coast guard. approximately 41,000 military personnel, and to my friends that say that the u.s. coast guard should be under homeland curity, the coast guard is a fifth branch braffer -- branch of the u.s. military. so it's actually under d.o.d. if we wanted to move it anywhere, i'd say put it under the armed services committee. approximately 41,000 military personnel, 8,000 reservist, 8,100 civilian employees compromise this adaptable responsive military force within the department of homeland security. as one of the nation's -- as one of the nation's five armed forces, the coast guard also is prepared to operate as a specialized service as times of war or the president's direction. the coast guard is instrumental

to the security of our nation and our maritime transportation system of this nation which, both of those are in turn the most important things that we can look at when it comes to the high seas in maintaining a robust economy and secure shores. and with that, mr. speaker, i'd like to yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. the question is, will the house suspend the rules and pass the ll, h.r. 4005, as amended, those in favor say aye. those opposed, no. . in the opinion of the chair, 2/3 of those voting having responded in the affirmative, the rules are suspended, the bill is passed and, without objection, the motion to reconsider is laid on the table.

for what purpose does the gentleman from pennsylvania seek recognition? >> mr. speaker, i move to suspend the rules and pass house concurrent regulationlusion 92. the speaker pro tempore: the clerk will report the title of the concurrent resolution. the clerk: house can concurrent resolution 92, concurrent resolution authorizing the use of the capitol grounds for the national peace officers memorial service and the national honor guard and pipe band exhibition. the speaker pro tempore: pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from pennsylvania, mr. barletta, and the gentleman from indiana, mr. carson, each will control 20 minutes. the chair recognizes the gentleman from pennsylvania. mr. barletta: mr. speaker, i ask unanimous consent that all members may have five legislative days in which to

revise and extend their remarks and to include extraneous material on house concurrent resolution 92. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, so ordered. mr. barletta: thank you, mr. speaker. i yield myself as much time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. barletta: house concurrent resolution 92 authorizes the use of the capitol grounds for the annual national peace officers memorial service and the national honor guard and pipe band exhibition. i am pleased to be the sponsor of this resolution, along with the gentleman from indiana, mr. carson. these events are held each year as part of police week, to honor the men and women who sacrificed their lives in the line of duty. this year over 110 federal, state and local law enforcement officers will be honored for their ultimate sacrifice, give canning their lives in the line of duty -- giving their lives in the line of duty to protect us. three of these sfears are from pennsylvania, including one from my district, congressional

officer eric williams of manicoke, pennsylvania. he was beaten and stabbed to death by an inmate in federal prison in wayne county. these officers put their lives on the line every day. doing a hard job that protects law-abiding citizens from violent criminals. officer williams' sacrifice and the sacrifice of those like him should not be forgotten. . i support the passage of this resolution. thank you and i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves the balance of his time. the chair recognizes the gentleman from indiana. >> thank you, mr. speaker. thank you, chairman barletta. mr. speaker, i yield myself such time as i may consume. mr. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. carson: as a former law enforcement officer from the great state of indiana, very proud supporter of this resolution to honor law enforcement officers killed in the line of duty in 2013.

the 111 officers that will be honored in may had made the ultimate sacrifice on behalf of their local communities. compared to last year, the number of officers slain has decreased by 8%. this represents the fewest number of officers killed since 1959. in addition, 2013 had the lowest amount of officers' deaths related to firearms since 1887. every life taken, mr. speaker, is one too many, so any reduction is significant to our officers, their families and the communities that they serve. sadly, mr. speaker, my hometown of indianapolis, indiana, is still grieving one of our own killed in the line of duty last year. officer rod bradway, a 41-year-old indianapolis metro police officer was killed while responding to a domestic violence dispute september 20,

2013. mr. bradway was a five-year veteran of the police department who is survived by his wife and two teenage daughters. he already received the indianapolis police department medal of bravery and previously served as a wingtown firefighter and e.m.t. thousands of residents of indianapolis turned out to officer bradway's memorial service in downtown indy. they believe, mr. speaker, as i do that he was a hero who died serving others. my deepest condolences go to officer bradway's family and the rest of the hardworking metro police officers. i strongly support this bill because i know that the national peace officers memorial service will show the proper respect to officer bradway and all other law enforcement officers who gave everything to protect our communities. i urge my colleagues to join me in supporting this tribute to our fallen law enforcement

officers. mr. speaker, i reserve the balance of my time, sir. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves the balance of his time. the chair recognizes the gentleman from pennsylvania. mr. barletta: mr. speaker, i don't have any more speakers. if the gentleman from indiana is prepared to close, i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves the balance of his time. the chair recognizes the gentleman from indiana. mr. carson: mr. speaker, i yield the balance of my time. i have no further comments. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields the balance of his time. the chair recognizes the gentleman from pennsylvania. barlbrl mr. speaker, i -- mr. barletta: mr. speaker, i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. the question is will the house suspend the rules and agree to house concurrent resolution 92. those in favor say aye. those opposed, no. in the opinion of the chair, 2/3 having responded in the affirmative, the rules are suspended, the concurrent resolution is agreed to and without objection the motion to reconsider is laid on the table.

for what purpose does the gentleman from pennsylvania seek recognition? mr. barletta: mr. speaker, i move to suspend the rules and pass house concurrent resolution 88. the speaker pro tempore: the clerk will report the title of the concurrent resolution. the clerk: house calendar number 93, house concurrent resolution 88, concurrent resolution authorizing the use of the capitol grounds for the greater washington soapbox derby. the speaker pro tempore: pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from pennsylvania, mr. barletta, and the gentleman from indiana, mr. carson, will each control 20 minutes. the chair recognizes the gentleman from pennsylvania. mr. barletta: mr. speaker, i ask unanimous consent that all members may have five legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on house concurrent resolution 88. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, so ordered. the gentleman is recognized. barlbrl thank you, mr. speaker. i yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. barletta: house concurrent resolution 88 authorizes the use of the capitol grounds for the honor greater washington

soapbox derby in june. i want to thank the gentleman from maryland, mr. hoyer, for introducing this resolution. he's been a longtime supporter of this event and the children involved each year. this event occurs annually on the capitol grounds. the soapbox derby encourages children to show off their dedication, work, creativity as they compete for trophies. the winners of each division are qualified to compete in the national all-american soapbox derby held in ohio. i support passage of this resolution. thank you and i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves the balance of his time. the gentleman from indiana, mr. carson, is recognized. mr. carson: mr. speaker, i yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. carson: mr. speaker, i'd like to commend my very, very close and dear friend, congressman hoyer, for his dedication to the greater washington soapbox derby and for introducing this resolution on behalf of the washington

regional delegation. i support today's resolution, mr. speaker, authorizing the greater washington soapbox derby to use capitol grounds. this provides the terrific opportunity for children to learn the values of craftsmanship and competition as they build and race their vehicles. the very first soapbox derby race in washington, d.c., mr. speaker, was run in 1938. and for the last 20 years, the official race site has been on capitol hill. with racecars approaching speeds of 25 miles per hour on constitutional avenue, this event provides a real thrill for kids and adults alike across the region. winners go on to compete in the national competition in akron, ohio, where they compete against kids from all over the world. on race day, every greater washington soapbox derby participant starts the race day with the chance to come a world

champion. i support this terrific opportunity, mr. speaker, for the children of washington, d.c., and urge my colleagues to support the passage of this great resolution. i reserve the balance of my time, mr. speaker. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves the balance of his time. the chair recognizes the gentleman from pennsylvania. mr. barletta: i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves the balance of his time. the chair recognizes the gentleman from indiana. mr. carson: i yield to the gentleman from maryland. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from maryland is recognized. mr. hoyer: i thank mr. barletta for bringing this bill to the floor. mr. speaker, for the 23rd straight year i'm proud to sponsor this resolution, allowing the greater washington soapbox derby association, to hold its 73rd annual race on the grounds of the united states capitol on june 14 which, by the way, mr. speaker, happens to be my birthday. this is a long-standing tradition that brings young people from around the area to the capitol for fun and

educational achievement, as mr. carson pointed out and as mr. barletta has said. in 1938, mr. speaker, norman rocca beat 223 other racers to win the inaugural greater washington soapbox derby which was held on new hampshire avenue. over the years, thousands of young people participated in this great race. dozens of boys and girls ranging in age of 8 to 17 are divided in three divisions, stock, superstock and masters. the local winner will be qualified to compete with racers from around the world in the all-american soapbox derby in akron, ohio. america's soapbox derbies have been called the greatest amateur racing event in the world. every year they bring young people together with their parents and teach sportsmanship, hard work, pride of accomplishment. not to mention engineering and

awareness of how you make something that makes a difference. the spirit of competition that fuels these racers is the same spirit that has long energized our nation and business innovators which all of these young people are and hopefully will continue to be. the young participants in these --ies are often sponsored by -- derbies are often sponsored by community groups, fire departments, police departments and others who recognize in them great promise for the future. i continue to be incredibly proud of those from maryland's fifth district who participate. we've celebrated a number of soapbox derby champions from the fifth district, including the winners from 2007, 2008, 2009, 2012 and 2013. you can see that soapbox derby is very important and popular in my district. 2007 and s in 2011 --

2008 went on to prevail in akron, ohio. aspen, who won the stock division, brittany, who won the superstock division, and jay, who won the masters division and went on to become the third st. mary's county, the most southern county in our state, to become -- to win the all-american soapbox derby in six years. we are very proud of them all. i want to thank those members who've co-sponsored this resolution. representative gerry connolly, donna edwards, jim moran, chris van hollen and my dear friend, frank wolf. and i urge my colleagues to support this resolution and to come to the soapbox derby in action. and i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. the gentleman from pennsylvania is recognized. mr. barletta: the gentleman from maryland may be interested to know that on markup of this resolution, two of our

committee members mentioned that they were proud soapbox derby champions. mr. nolan of minnesota and mr. williams of texas, and they also joked that today they now stand on a soapbox here in congress. i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves the balance of his time. the chair recognizes the gentleman from indiana. mr. carson: mr. speaker, may i ask my colleague, the honorable chairman barletta, if he has any more speakers? the speaker pro tempore: does the gentleman have any more speakers? barlbrl i have -- mr. barletta: i have no other speakers. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from indiana is recognized. mr. carson: mr. speaker, i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. the gentleman from pennsylvania is recognized. mr. barletta: thank you. it's been a proud tradition across the nation, including in pennsylvania. in fact, the 1975, 11-year-old karen of lower bucks county, pennsylvania, became the first

girl to win the all-american soapbox derby. again, i'd like to thank the minority whip for giving us an opportunity each year to highlight this event and its importance. mr. speaker, i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. the question is will the house suspend the rules and agree to house condition curent resolution 88 -- house concurrent resolution 88. those in favor say aye. those opposed, no. in the opinion of the chair, 2/3 having responded in the affirmative, the rules are suspended, the concurrent resolution is agreed to and without objection the motion to reconsider is laid on the table.

for what purpose does the gentleman from pennsylvania seek recognition? mr. barletta: mr. speaker, i move to -- mr. pitts: mr. speaker, i move to suspend the rules s. 1558, the children's hospital g.m.e. support re-authorization act of 2013. the speaker pro tempore: the clerk will report the resolution. the clerk: an act to amend the public service act to support medical graduate program in children's hospitals. the speaker pro tempore: pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from pennsylvania, mr. pitts, and the gentleman from texas, mr. green, will each control 20 minutes. the chair recognizes the gentleman from pennsylvania. mr. pitts: mr. speaker, i ask unanimous consent that all members may have five legislative days to revise and xtend their remarks and insert extraneous materials in the record on the bill. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, so ordered. mr. pitts: mr. speaker, i yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. pitts: mr. speaker, i'm glad that today we will pass a bill that will help keep

american children healthy. today the house considers s. 1557, the children's hospital g.m.e. support re-authorization act of 2013. this is companion legislation to my -- to my own bill, h.r. 297, which passed the house at the beginning of this congress. i'm pleased that we've worked out the slight differences between the bills and that we can now re-authorize an important program that makes sure our nation has enough doctors trained to treat children. the children's hospital graduate medical education program helps encourage more young doctors to pursue this important specialty. without it we would certainly see fewer professionals enter pediatric and subspecialties.

nationwide this program supports the training of more than 5,000 doctors. locally in my area of pennsylvania, the children's hospital of philadelphia participates in the program, and i've had the privilege of visiting the hospital a number of times and meeting with the young patients and the doctors learning how to treat them. and i'm proud to have worked on this legislation with energy and commerce health subcommittee ranking member frank pallone. we originally introduced this bill in the 112th congress. it's been a long road, and i'm glad we can finally send this bill to the president for his signature. this is yet another bipartisan bill that we've successfully moved through the health subcommittee. it's proof that despite our differences we can find common ground and work together on legislation in a bipartisan way to help americans stay healthy. and i'd like to thank especially monica on my staff as well as the staff of health subcommittee, espely